Weathering the Storm: Persistent Effects and Psychological First Aid with Children Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

There is a growing body of research on mental health outcomes among, and interventions with, children exposed to disaster. A recommended form of postdisaster intervention is psychological first aid (PFA). This research examines the use of a 6-week PFA group intervention among children ages 5 to 15 displaced due to Hurricane Katrina. Within 20 months post-Katrina, children participated in the Weathering the Storm Psychological First Aid (WTS PFA) groups in public schools and at a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailer park. A total of 99 children (95% African American) completed the WTS PFA intervention. Mean posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores remained in the moderate range two years postevent. Postintervention scores reflect a statistically significant improvement in PTSD symptoms among the sample.

Keywords:

• psychological first aid
• Hurricane Katrina
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• African American children

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Daughters of Penelope and the AmeriCares Foundation. The authors would like to thank Marge Heegaard and Tangela Colson for their collaboration and work on this project.