Disasters and Youth: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Posttraumatic Stress

Objective: Meta-analyze the literature on posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in youths post-disaster. Method: Meta-analytic synthesis of the literature (k = 96 studies; N-total = 74,154) summarizing the magnitude of associations between disasters and youth PTS, and key factors associated with variations in the magnitude of these associations. We included peer-reviewed studies published prior to 1/1/2009 that quantitatively examined youth PTS (<= 18 years at event) after a distinct and identifiable disaster. Results: Despite variability across studies, disasters had a significant effect on youth PTS (small-to-medium magnitude; r(pooled) = .19, SEr = .03; d = 0.4). Female gender (r(pooled) = .14), higher death toll (disasters of death toll <= 25: r(pooled) = .09; vs. disasters with >= 1,000 deaths: r(pooled) = .22), child proximity (r(pooled) = .33), personal loss (r(pooled) = .16), perceived threat (r(pooled) = .34), and distress (r(pooled) = .38) at time of event were each associated with increased PTS. Studies conducted within 1 year post-disaster, studies that used established measures, and studies that relied on child-report data identified a significant effect. Conclusion: Youths are vulnerable to appreciable PTS after disaster, with preexisting child characteristics, aspects of the disaster experience, and study methodology each associated with variations in the effect magnitude. Findings underscore the importance of measurement considerations in post-disaster research. Areas in need of research include the long-term impact of disasters, disaster-related media exposure, prior trauma and psychopathology, social support, ethnicity/race, prejudice, parental psychopathology, and the effects of disasters in developing regions of the world. Policy and clinical implications are discussed.