Helping Children Heal Project

by Lawrence L., Viron M., Johnson J.E., Hudkins A., Samples G. and Kliman G.

Tulane University School of Medicine: Reporting Reduction In Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Middle School Children: Displaced Victims of Hurricane Katrina Using Psychoanalytically Informed Guided Activity Workbooks Developed by The Children’s Psychological Health Center.

Abstracts: A School-based Mental Health Recovery Effort

Objective: On Monday, August 29th, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, causing extensive destruction and widespread flooding. The objective of this study was to decrease Post Traumatic symptoms in 6th – 8th grade children attending New Orleans West (NOW) School based in Houston, TX exclusively for children displaced from New Orleans. The student population is 100% African-American, the majority of whom were from impoverished areas of New Orleans; areas that were widely devastated by Katrina.

Method: The University of California at Los Angeles Child Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSD-RI) was administrated to the children prior to beginning work on the Hurricane Workbook and after approximately three months of working with the workbooks. My Personal Story About Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Guided Activity Workbook for Children by Gilbert Kliman, et al. was given to each child who worked on it for 30 minutes weekly for approximately three months.

Results: For grades 6-8, post-traumatic stress symptom level scores declined compared with pre-assessment scores. See charts below.

Summary: My Personal Story About Hurricanes Katrina and Rita appears to have contributed to decreasing PTSD symptom factors in 6th – 8th graders post-Hurricane Katrina.

For the entire middle school (6-8), compared with earlier in the year (Nov.-Jan), the post-traumatic symptom level scores declined 18.75%, from a median of 32 to 26. This reduction was statistically significant (p=.0001). The intervention being monitored was the use of the Guided Activity Workbooks developed by The Children’s Psychological Health Center, Hurricane workbooks, but obviously, other factors such as classroom and home environment, counseling groups, individual support from teachers and family, and the passage of time all likely contributed to the reduction in symptom levels. For the entire middle school (6-8), statistically significant reductions were observed in the responses to assessment questions. An increase was noted in the response to the question “Do things make you think it might happen again?” (p=.0349)

For the 6th grade, compared with earlier in the year (Nov-Jan), post traumatic symptom level scores declined 25% from a medial of 32 to 24. This reduction was statistically significant (p=.0719). The intervention being monitored was the use of the Hurricane workbooks, but obviously, other factors such as classroom and home environment, counseling groups, individual support from teachers and family, and the passage of time all likely contributed to the reduction in symptom levels. For the 6th grade statistically significant reductions were observed in the responses to assessment questions.

For the 7th grade, compared with earlier in the year (Nov.-Jan.), post traumatic symptom level scores declined 18.75% from a medial of 32 to 26. This reduction was statistically significant (p=.0719). The intervention being monitored was the use of the Hurricane workbooks, but obviously, other factors such as classroom and home environment, counseling groups, individual support from teachers and family, and the passage of time all likely contributed to the reduction in symptom levels. For the 7th grade statistically significant reductions were observed in the responses to assessment questions.

For the 8th grade, compared with earlier in the year (Nov.-Jan.), post traumatic symptom level scores declined 18.75% from a medial of 32 to 26. This reduction was statistically significant (p=.0008). The intervention being monitored was the use of the Hurricane workbooks, but obviously, other factors such as classroom and home environment, counseling groups, individual support from teachers and family, and the passage of time all likely contributed to the reduction in symptom levels. For the 8th grade statistically significant reductions were observed in the responses to assessment questions.