Mothers’ Functioning and Children’s Symptoms 5 Years after a SCUD Missile Attack

Considerable knowledge has accumulated during the last decadeconcerning children’s responses to disasters.1-4 Mental health professionals are aware that children, even preschoolers,5 may display specific posttraumatic

symptoms, although theyare somewhat different from those reported by adults.6 Youngage,7 high degree of exposure,8 poor parental functioning,9,10 and loss of family member11 are some of the riskfactors that predict poorer psychological functioning. Posttraumaticsymptoms tend to decrease with time,12 although they mayhave a delayed onset.13