Parental Internalizing Psychopathology and PTSD in Offspring after the 2012 Earthquake in Italy.

Barbara Forresi,Ernesto Caffo,Elena Righi,Gabriella Aggazzotti,Marcella Caputi,Simona Scaini

doi:10.3390/children8100930

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in youths after earthquakes, with parental psychopathology among the most significant predictors. This study investigated the contribution and the interactional effects of parental internalizing psychopathology, the severity of exposure to the earthquake, and past traumatic events to predict PTSD in offspring, also testing the reverse pattern. Two years after the 2012 earthquake in Italy, 843 children and adolescents (9–15 years) living in two differently affected areas were administered a questionnaire on traumatic exposure and the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index. Anxiety, depression, and somatization were assessed in 1162 parents through the SCL-90-R. General linear model showed that, for offspring in the high-impact area, predictors of PTSD were earthquake exposure, past trauma, and parental internalizing symptoms, taken individually. An interaction between earthquake exposure and parental depression or anxiety (not somatization) was also found. In the low-impact area, youth PTSD was only predicted by earthquake exposure. The reverse pattern was significant, with parental psychopathology explained by offspring PTSD. Overall, findings support the association between parental and offspring psychopathology after natural disasters, emphasizing the importance of environmental factors in this relationship. Although further research is needed, these results should be carefully considered when developing mental health interventions.

Highlights

As the frequency of large-scale disasters and emergencies is increasing around the globe, children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable populations for the development of negative mental health consequences
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found significant support, a reciprocal pattern of influence has been suggested with preliminary evidence [64,72], without clear conclusions
None of the previous studies looked at parental psychopathology in interaction with the severity of exposure to the earthquake and past trauma to determine PTSD in offspring

Summary

Introduction

As the frequency of large-scale disasters and emergencies is increasing around the globe, children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable populations for the development of negative mental health consequences. Several studies confirmed that youths exposed to disasters show an increased prevalence of psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety/somatization disorders, substance abuse, and sleep problems [1,2,3,4,5,6]. According to a recent meta-analysis of studies conducted among children and adolescents exposed to earthquakes and floods [28], the pooled prevalence of PTSD was 19.2%, 30%, 24.4%, and 20.4% in the first, second, third, and fourth six-month intervals after the event. Several pre-traumatic and peritraumatic predictors of PTSD in children and adolescents after disasters have been identified [15,28,29,30], such as demographic characteristics (e.g., being female), pre-disaster events and functioning (e.g., previous traumatic events and psychological difficulties), and severity of disaster exposure (e.g., being trapped, experiencing injuries and losses).

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