Kids may have PTSD after natural disaster

MIAMI, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say children may need help coping with the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Researchers at the University of Miami, led by Annette La Greca, said 35 percent of children had moderate to severe levels of post-traumatic-stress disorder nine months after being in a level four hurricane.

The study, published online in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, finds 29 percent had PTSD two years after the hurricane.

"There have been no tested interventions developed for children who still show significant symptoms of PTSD almost a year after a devastating hurricane," La Greca says in a statement. "What this study shows is that there may be a need to test intervention programs to be used from several months to two years post-disaster, to keep kids from developing persistent stress."

Among factors researchers found helping children was social support from friends.

"For children that have experienced a destructive hurricane, restoring contact with friends provides a buffer to the negative experiences, helping kids have greater resilience and to adjust better to life after the disaster," La Greca says.

La Greca and colleagues studied 384 second, third and fourth-graders in Florida who lived through Hurricane Charley in 2004 -- the cause of 35 deaths and $16.3 billion in damages.