Traumatic aftermath: Study finds increased aggression and social issues in children of evacuees

In a recent study, 636 parents were involved, with 300 being evacuees and 336 from the non-evacuated population. The results showed that 45.7% of evacuee parents experienced post-traumatic symptoms, a higher percentage compared to the 32.4% in the comparison group. These symptoms included intrusive thinking, avoidance of trauma triggers, changes in cognitive function and mood, and hyperarousal.

In addition to this, the study found that 61.1% of evacuated parents reported serious aggression issues in their children, a significant increase from before the evacuation. This was higher than the 40.5% reported in the comparison group. Social problems were also more prevalent in the children of evacuees, with 29.4% of evacuee parents reporting serious social issues in their children compared to 17.9% in the comparison group.

The study also explored trust and community resilience among evacuees. Only 23.3% of evacuees believed that the local authority was functioning effectively, lower than the 36.9% in the comparison group. Additionally, only 22% of evacuees reported trust in decision makers in the local authority, compared to 30.1% in the comparison group