The Effects of Maternal Disaster Exposure on Adolescent Mental Health 12 Years Later.

ABSTRACT: Natural disasters adversely impact children's mental health, with increased parent or child exposure and subsequent parental distress predicting poorer outcomes. It remains unknown, however, whether the psychological consequences of disasters for children persist long-term, and if so, why and for whom. We therefore examined the effects of mothers' exposure to Hurricane Katrina on adolescent children's mental health 12 years later, distinguishing between direct effects of disaster exposure and effects mediated by maternal distress, and evaluating moderation by child age and gender. Data were from a 2003-2018 study of young, low-income, primarily African American mothers living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005 (n = 328). Mothers rated their mental health about one year

SUBMITTER: Zacher M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9910088 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature