Thematic Analysis of 30 Families Studied Post-Disaster
Eric Smith & Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Ph.D. University of South Alabama
Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Introduction
On December 25, 2012 a tornado hit the midtown area of Mobile,
Alabama causing major damage to one of the area’s high schools
containing several thousand students.
Following this disaster, system-level changes occurred to
accommodate students, including relocation to the back lot of a
school serving middle schoolers.
School mobility can have both positive and negative effects on
student achievement (Heinlin & Shinn, 2000).
The literature shows inconsistent effects of school mobility, and
has related that to socioeconomic status (SES).
However, little is known about how family resilience may impact
adolescent’s health post-disaster.
Results
Results
Thematic Analysis-Parental Perspectives
 14%: Were sad because their child was sad
 14%: Felt parents were most affected by the tornado
 45%: Indicated that family turns to religion, works together
as a family or has open communication to help them
 71%: Experienced transportation issues
 33%: Suffered no direct damage from the tornado
Thematic Analysis-Child Perspectives
 43%: Student was the most affected
 36%: Student felt like a prisoner
 14%: Complained about longer school days
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24%: Felt high school experience was affected
24%: Had issues with the temporary classrooms/portables
19%: Felt excessive restrictions were implemented on students
19%: Indicated grades suffered because of changes
Future Directions
Structural Family Systems Rating Scale (SFSR)
 SFSR is a family therapy technique that encourages families to
interact naturally with three standard tasks in a controlled
environment (Szapocznik et al., 1990).
 Task 1: Planning the Menu
 Task 2: Things others do in the family that please or
displease you
 Task 3: A family argument
 Each task is then measured according to the following dimensions
Aims & Objectives
 The purpose of this study was to assess how students and their
families were affected by the tornado and the family processes
that promoted resiliency
 Understand how resilience differs among family members
 Develop a coding system to measure qualitative data in
audio/video format
Methods
Photo credit: Altairisfar. (2007). Murphy High School. October 9, 2015. Reprinted with
permission as per license.
Structure
Family organization in terms of systems and subsystems. The extent
to which family members take charge in directing family
interactions. The measure of leadership, subsystem organization,
and communication flow.
Flexibility
The family’s ability to change and reorganize in order to meet
changing needs or demands. The appropriateness of shift in
communication flow, alliances, and subsystem formation in relation
to members’ age, nature of interaction, and changing circumstances.
Resonance
A measure of the permeability of boundaries and differentiation
between individuals and subsystems in the family. It is also a
measure of the threshold of family members’ sensitivity to one
another. This concept encompasses two well known types of family
difficulties, enmeshment and disengagement.
Conflict
Resolution
The extent to which a family is able to express , confront, and
negotiate differences of opinion, disagreements, and conflicts. It is
assumed that conflict resolution variables can be viewed along an
ordinal dimension ranging from poor to good.
Participants
N= 71
30 Families (with an impacted student)
Represented Members
 Mother, Father, Daughter- 6
 Mother, Father, Son- 5
 Mother, Daughter- 12
 Mother, Son- 5
 Father, Daughter-1
Other-1
Ethnicity
 Black/African American 60.6%
 Caucasian/White 31%
 Hispanic/Latino 1.4%
 Asian 1.4%
 Multiracial 5.6%
 Future research could examine academic achievement when
administering the survey to each participant.
 Findings have implications for school systems and families postdisaster.
Measures
Each family was asked a series of questions that pertained to
their experiences with the tornado and how their lives were affected
thereafter.
 Ex. “What were you doing when the tornado happened?”
“Who in the family had the strongest emotional
reaction?”
“What types of changes happened after the tornado?”
“What makes your family resilient? What types of things
do you do as a family to bounce back?”
“What can your family do to be more resilient?”
Literature Cited
Photo credit: Amanda Hester. (2012) Murphy. October 9, 2015. Reprinted with
permission as per email.
The Outreach Program was developed jointly by BP and the Plaintiffs' Steering
Committee as part of the Deepwater Horizon Medical Benefits Class Action Settlement,
which was approved by the U.S. District Court in New Orleans on January 11, 2013
and became effective on February 12, 2014. The Outreach Program is supervised by
the court, and is funded with $105 million from the Medical Settlement.
Heinlin, L. M. & Shinn, M. (2000). School mobility and achievement in an urban
setting. Psychology in the Schools, 37(4), 349-357.
Szapocznik, J., Rio, A. T., Hervis, O. E., Mitrani, V. B., Kurtines, W. M., & Faraci,
A. M. (1991). Assessing changes in family functioning as a result of
treatment: the Structural Family Systems Rating Scale (SFSR). Journal of
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