Typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe changes in behaviors of young children as reported by their parents following the March 28, 1984, tornadoes in eastern North Carolina.The population for the study consisted of 130 children (three, four and five-year-olds) whose parents had registered for disaster assistance with the American Red Cross after the tornado.The research instrument was the Pre- and PostDisaster Behavior Instrument constructed by the researcher to obtain data from parents regarding changes in behavior of the children following the tornado. Twenty-four interviewers were trained to administer the questionnaire to parents. The instrument yielded frequencies of forty selected behaviors during three time periods: (1) before the tornado to right after the tornado; (2) before the tornado to eight months after the tornado and (3) right after the tornado to eight months after the tornado. The McNemar test was employed to determine statistical significance between the responses for the three time periods. Statistical significance was reported provided two criteria were met: (1) ten percent or more of the subjects reported a change; and (2) the change was significant at the .05 level.FindingsChanges in behavior were found to be statistically significant in the three defined time periods. Females displayed more behavior changes than males, and retained those changes in behavior eight months after the tornado. Three and five year old children displayed more behavior changes than four year olds. Young children whose homes were destroyed experienced more behavior changes than children whose homes received minor or major damage. Children who were indirect victims exhibited a higher proportion of behavior changes than direct victims. The children who were at home during the tornado made more significant changes in behavior than children who were not at home.Fourteen changes in behavior were statistically significant at the .0000 level. Two behaviors, fear of loud sounds and fear of the wind, were reported to change significantly for more than half of the subjects. A significant relationship was found to exist between a limited number of parent behaviors and changes in child behaviors.