Facing war, terrorism, and disaster: toward a child-oriented comprehensive emergency care system.

The combination of the overwhelming nature of disasters and the massive losses they engender gives rise to a complex clinical and social picture with longterm physical, psychological, and social effects on children, families, and communities. The authors suggest that to assess the damage properly, implement interventions on a large scale, keep tabs on rising needs, and restore societal function, mental health professionals must adopt an ecologic systems approach. This approach entails working within and together with related institutions (education, health, local government) and assisting other committed professionals within these institutions to mediate care.

Posttraumatic, dissociative and grief symptoms in Turkish children exposed to the 1999 earthquakes.

Grief and dissociation after traumatic exposures are among the most important predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article introduces the Traumatic Dissociation and Grief Scale (TDGS), a 23-item measure easily administered. The TDGS, the Child PTSD-Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), and a questionnaire concerning risk factors related to the event (losses, injury, and witnessing death and injuries) were administered to school-aged children who had been directly exposed to the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey and to a nonexposed control group.