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Displacement as a predictor of functional impairment in tsunami‐exposed children
Author(s) -
Lee Christopher,
Du Ye Beverly,
Christina Desy,
Palfrey Judith,
O'Rourke Edward,
Belfer Myron
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/disa.12088
Subject(s) - displacement (psychology) , sanitation , psychological intervention , functional impairment , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , poison control , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , medicine , multivariate statistics , demography , environmental health , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , pathology , sociology , psychotherapist
Thirty months after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004, thousands of families in Aceh Province, Indonesia, remained in temporary barracks while sanitation conditions and non‐governmental organisation support deteriorated. This study sought to determine the factors associated with functional impairment in a sample of 138 displaced and non‐displaced Acehnese children. Using multivariate linear regression models, it was found that displacement distance was a consistent predictor of impairment using the Brief Impairment Scale. Exposure to tsunami‐related trauma markers was not significantly linked with impairment in the model. Paternal employment was a consistent protective factor for child functioning. These findings suggest that post‐disaster displacement and the subsequent familial economic disruption are significant predictors of impaired functioning in children's daily activities. Post‐disaster interventions should consider the disruption of familiar environments for families and children when relocating vulnerable populations to avoid deleterious impacts on children's functioning.