Family Functioning and Overprotection following a Natural Disaster: The Longitudinal Effects of Post-Traumatic Morbidity

The longitudinal impact of a natural disaster on the patterns of interaction in families with latency-aged children is examined. An 11-item questionnaire was developed and two factors were isolated: irritable distress and involvement. A group of 183 disaster-affected families were contrasted with 497 families who had not been exposed to the disaster. Eight months after the disaster, the interaction in the disaster-affected families was characterised by increased levels of conflict, irritability and withdrawal. Maternal overprotection was also a common feature of the pattern of care in these families. Post-traumatic morbidity in parents was the major determinant of the observed changes in family functioning and the overprotection.