Behavioural and Emotional Problems in Iranian Children Four Years After Parental Death in an Earthquake

Background: Although previous research has established a direct impact of natural disasters on child mental health, there is limited knowledge on the underpinning mechanisms, particularly when there has been the loss of a parent. Aims: To establish: (a) the rates of behavioural and emotional problems of school-aged children who had lost their parents in the 2003 earthquake in Iran, compared with children from intact families who attended the same schools; (b) the relationship between the psychopathology of the surviving parents’ and children’s behavioural and emotional problems; and (c) whether this relationship was compounded by socioeconomic factors. Methods: Eighty six children of 7—13 years who had lost a parent in the earthquake four years earlier were compared with 80 matched children from intact families. The teacher and parent versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used as measures of behavioural and emotional problems. Parents’ psychopathology was established by the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ). Results: Behavioural and emotional problems were significantly higher in children who had suffered parental loss than in the control group. There was a significant association between parent-rated SDQ and SRQ scores. Parental death was found to interact with socioeconomic variables in predicting children’s behavioural and emotional problems and surviving parents’ mental health problems. Conclusions: After natural disasters, bereaved children and their surviving parents are at risk of developing mental health problems, and social adversities increase this risk.