Small Study: Natural Disaster Coverage May Exacerbate Stress In Kids With PTSD.

Medscape (11/9, Brauser) reports, “Preexisting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be ‘an important component’ in identifying which children will be most negatively affected by watching television coverage of natural disasters, including hurricanes,” according to a 141-participant studypublished online Oct. 15 in the journal Psychological Science. “In one of the first studies to assess children after each of two disasters, investigators found that those who had residual symptoms of PTSD after going through hurricane Katrina had significantly higher levels of stress three years later after watching television coverage of hurricane Gustav than the kids who did not have earlier symptoms.”