Children's Coping Assistance: How Parents, Teachers, and Friends Help Children Cope After a Natural Disaster

Abstract

Abstract Investigated the construct of coping assistance, defined as actions taken by significant others to help children cope with stressful events, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The Children's Coping Assistance Checklist (CCAC) was developed to assess three types of coping assistance (Emotional Processing, Roles and Routines, and Distraction) from three sources (Parents, Teachers, and Friends). The CCAC and measures of children's social support, coping, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology were administered to 506 third through fifth graders 7 months after Hurricane Andrew. Roles and Routines coping assistance was reported most frequently, followed by Distraction and Emotional Processing. Coping assistance from parents and friends was reported more frequently than from teachers. Third graders reported significantly more Emotional Processing from parents and friends than fourth and fifth graders; no sex effects were found. As expected, children with more severe levels of PTSD symptomatology reported more Emotional Processing and Distraction coping assistance. Findings suggest that coping assistance is an important construct for understanding children's reactions to natural disasters.