Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Child Survivors of Shipping Disasters: The Sinking of the ‘Jupiter'

334 of over 400 children who survived the sinking of the cruise ship, Jupiter, in Athens harbour in October 1988 completed a battery of questionnaires 5-9 months later. Compared with age- and sex-matched controls, they show significantly higher scores on depression and anxiety. They also report more fears, particularly of stimuli related to the trauma. Overall, their scores on the Impact of Events Scale are as high as those reported by adults in other disasters. Follow-up studies a year after the accident reveal that nearly half the children meet the DSM-III-R criteria for PTSD. The usefulness of this screening battery is discussed. Some evidence for the effects of early intervention in schools is presented.