Citation

Bannon W, Devoe ER, Klein TP, Miranda C. Child Adolesc. Ment. Health 2009; 14(3): 121-126.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1475-3588.2008.00517.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the moderating effect of gender on the relationship of child exposure to the World Trade Centre (WTC) disaster and child behavioural difficulties among a sample of very young children who resided in New York City on September 11, 2001.

Methods: The authors interviewed 180 parents of children who were age five or younger on September 11th, 2001. Parents were asked to provide information concerning family demographic characteristics, their own and their children’s mental health, their children’s behavioural difficulties in the aftermath of the WTC disaster, the number of WTC disaster experiences their children were exposed to, and the number of stressful life events their children experienced prior to the disaster.

Results: Gender moderated the relationship between child exposure to the WTC disaster and several behavioural outcomes. Specifically, among children who were highly exposed boys evidenced significantly higher scores on parent report measures of internalising and total behavioural difficulties relative to girls.

Conclusions: Findings are contrary to other research on children and trauma, in which gender differences are more often reported with higher rates of internalising behaviour among girls. Future research is needed that examines how and whether younger children’s vulnerabilities in the face of trauma may differ by gender.