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Impact of a technological disaster on young children: A five‐year postdisaster multiinformant study
Author(s) -
Boer Frits,
Smit Cees,
Morren Mattijn,
Roorda Jan,
Yzermans Joris
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20461
Subject(s) - anxiety , mental health , depression (economics) , psychology , depressive symptoms , suicide prevention , anxiety disorder , injury prevention , poison control , psychiatry , occupational safety and health , clinical psychology , early childhood , medicine , developmental psychology , medical emergency , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Abstract Children exposed to a technological disaster during an understudied part of the lifespan, preschool age and early middle childhood, were assessed in a 5‐year follow‐up regarding mental health problems, anxiety disorder symptoms, depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Exposed children and their parents ( n = 264) reported significantly more problems than controls ( n = 515). The differences were greater for conduct problems (including hyperactivity) and physical symptoms, than for anxiety and depression. The long‐term effects of a technological disaster on children of pre‐school age at exposure appear to differ from those in children, who were victimized at a later age. This may reflect interference with completion of specific developmental tasks.