Network Structure of Post-Traumatic Stress and Social/Emotional/Behavioral Difficulties in a Post-Earthquake Child and Adolescent Sample

Abstract

Following natural disasters, children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the onset and persistence of post-traumatic stress symptoms, which can significantly affect developmental trajectories and mental health. Although PTSD networks have been extensively studied in adults, less is known about youth, and no previous studies have examined how PTSD clusters relate to social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). This study applied network analysis to examine how PTSD clusters relate to psychosocial problems in a large sample of trauma-exposed youth. A total of 635 Italian children and adolescents (M_age = 11.19 years, SD = 1.43; 51.5% male), exposed to the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake, completed the UCLA PTSD-RI and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Network estimation and centrality indices were computed for the overall sample. Network Comparison Tests assessed differences by gender, age group, and proximity to the epicenter. Emotional problems and Increased Arousal emerged as the most central nodes, whereas Peer Problems were consistently peripheral. Gender differences were significant, whereas no differences were detected by age; moreover, youth living closer to the epicenter exhibited a more densely connected network. Despite its limitations, the study identifies co-occurrence patterns between PTSD clusters and specific SEBD, outlining clinical implications that warrant further investigation.