Distress reactions and earthquake-related cognitions of parents and their adolescent children in a victimized population

This study investigated distress reactions and earthquake related cognitions of adolescents and their parents sixteen months after the 1992 Erzincan, Turkey earthquake. One parent and one adolescent child in each of 44 households responded to a questionnaire, including a shortened and revised version of SCL-90 (Derogatis & Cleary 1977). Results indicated a high degree of similarity between parents and children in cognitions about potential earthquakes and initial affective responses to the 1992 earthquake. The majority of parents, but only a minority of children, expressed continued distress due to the disaster event. Worry about future quakes, phobic, somatic, depressive, and irritable/hostile reactions, and perceived lack of control were higher among parents than children. The data suggested that parental somatization is related to child distress. The implications of the results for disaster management strategies and future research are discussed