Disaster and Mental Health Problems in Teens

Ivanhoe Newswire
Friday, August 29, 2003; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Teens directly involved in a disaster situation are susceptible to a number of mental health issues. A new study shows treating anxiety, depression, aggression and alcohol abuse needs to be a priority after teens have been involved in a devastating situation.

Dutch authors had a unique position to study teenagers before and after a disaster. In 2001, a fire in a caf wounded 250 adolescents and killed 14 teenagers. At the time of the disaster, 124 students -- including 31 who were in the caf at the time of the fire -- and 830 students from other schools not involved in the fire were already involved in a study. The study focused on the effects of a school health-promotion program to prevent emotional and behavioral problems, smoking initiation and alcohol use. Researchers were able to look at data from before the fire and five months after the disaster.

Researchers report the adolescents at the school with students involved in the fire had a 75-percent increase in the rate of mental health symptom scores compared with students at the other schools. Researchers also report scores for depression, anxiety, incoherent thinking and aggression were about three-times greater among the students at the school with students involved in the fire. Furthermore, alcohol abuse was more than four-times greater at the school with students involved in the fire.

Study authors say this study confirms the need for mental health services for teenagers after exposure to a disaster. The study shows adolescents are inclined to react to stressful events with excessive use of alcohol. They hope this research will help create better prevention and treatment strategies for teenagers after being involved in a disaster.

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SOURCE: The Lancet, 2003;362:691-696