Post Traumatic Stress, Context, and the Lingering Effects of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster among Ethnic Minority Youth

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl F. Weems ◽  
Leslie K. Taylor ◽  
Melinda F. Cannon ◽  
Reshelle C. Marino ◽  
Dawn M. Romano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Minority Youth ◽  
Ethnic Minority Youth ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Hurricane Katrina experience and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among pregnant women

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Xiong, MD, DrPH ◽  
Emily W. Harville, PhD ◽  
Donald R. Mattison, MD ◽  
Karen Elkind-Hirsch, PhD ◽  
Gabriella Pridjian, MD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Hurricane Exposure

Objective: Little is known about the effects of disaster exposure and intensity on the development of mental disorders among pregnant women. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of exposure to Hurricane Katrina on mental health in pregnant women.Design: Prospective cohort epidemiological study.Setting: Tertiary hospitals in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, USA.Participants: Women who were pregnant during Hurricane Katrina or became pregnant immediately after the hurricane.Main outcome measures: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.Results: The frequency of PTSD was higher in women with high hurricane exposure (13.8 percent) than women without high hurricane exposure (1.3 percent), with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 16.8 (95% confidence interval: 2.6-106.6) after adjustment for maternal race, age, education, smoking and alcohol use, family income, parity, and other confounders. The frequency of depression was higher in women with high hurricane exposure (32.3 percent) than women without high hurricane exposure (12.3 percent), with an aOR of 3.3 (1.6-7.1). Moreover, the risk of PTSD and depression increased with an increasing number of severe experiences of the hurricane.Conclusions: Pregnant women who had severe hurricane experiences were at a significantly increased risk for PTSD and depression. This information should be useful for screening pregnant women who are at higher risk of developing mental disorders after disaster.

Effect of a school-based test anxiety intervention in ethnic minority youth exposed to Hurricane Katrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl F. Weems ◽  
Leslie K. Taylor ◽  
Natalie M. Costa ◽  
Allison B. Marks ◽  
Dawn M. Romano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Minority Youth ◽  
Ethnic Minority Youth ◽  
School Based

Rapid Needs Assessment of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees—Oklahoma, September 2005

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 390-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Russell Rodriguez ◽  
Jolianne Stone Tocco ◽  
Sue Mallonee ◽  
Lauri Smithee ◽  
Timothy Cathey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Post Traumatic

AbstractIntroduction:On 04 September 2005, 1,589 Hurricane Katrina evacuees from the New Orleans area arrived in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State Department of Health conducted a rapid needs assessment of the evacuees housed at a National Guard training facility to determine the medical and social needs of the population in order to allocate resources appropriately.Methods:A standardized questionnaire that focused on individual and household evacuee characteristics was developed. Households from each shel-ter building were targeted for surveying, and a convenience sample was used.Results:Data were collected on 197 households and 373 persons. When com-pared with the population of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, the evacuees sampled were more likely to be male, black, and 45–64 years of age. They also were less likely to report receiving a high school education and being employed pre-hurricane. Of those households of <1 persons, 63% had at least one missing household member. Fifty-six percent of adults and 21% of children reported having at least one chronic disease. Adult women and non-black persons were more likely to report a pre-existing mental health condition. Fourteen percent of adult evacuees reported a mental illness that required medication pre-hur-ricane, and eight adults indicated that they either had been physically or sex-ually assaulted after the hurricane. Approximately half of adults reported that they had witnessed someone being severely injured or dead, and 10% of per-sons reported that someone close to them (family or friend) had died since the hurricane. Of the adults answering questions related to acute stress disor-der, 50% indicated that they suffered at least one symptom of the disorder.Conclusions:The results from this needs assessment highlight that the evac-uees surveyed predominantly were black, of lower socio-economic status, and had substantial, pre-existing medical and mental health concerns. The evac-uees experienced multiple emotional traumas, including witnessing grotesque scenes and the disruption of social systems, and had pre-existing psy-chopathologies that predisposed this population to post-traumatic stress dis-order (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder).x When disaster populations are displaced, mental health and social service providers should be available immediately upon the arrival of the evacuees, and should be integrally coordinated with the relief response. Because the displaced population is at high risk for disaster-related mental health problems, it should be monitored closely for persons with PTSD. This displaced population will likely require a substantial re-establishment of financial, medical, and educational resources in new communities or upon their return to Louisiana.

Impact of coping styles on post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms among pregnant women exposed to Hurricane Katrina

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olurinde Oni, MD, MS ◽  
Emily W. Harville, PhD ◽  
Xu Xiong, MD, DrPH ◽  
Pierre Buekens, MD, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Objective: Experiencing natural disasters such as hurricanes is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.We examined the role played by perceived stress and coping styles in explaining and modifying this association among pregnant women exposed to Hurricane Katrina.Design: The study comprised 192 women (133 from New Orleans and 59 from Baton Rouge) who were pregnant during Hurricane Katrina or became pregnant immediately after the hurricane. Women were interviewed regarding their hurricane experience, perceived stress, and mental health outcomes. Coping styles was assessed using the Brief COPE, PTSD symptoms using the Post-Traumatic Checklist, and depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Depression Scale. Multivariable regression models were run to determine the effects of coping styles on mental health and the interactions among coping styles, hurricane experience, and perceived stress on mental health.Results: Apart from the positive reframing and humor coping styles, all coping styles correlated positively with PTSD or depression (p 0.05). The instrumental support, denial, venting, and behavioral disengagement coping styles were significantly associated with worsened PTSD symptoms among those who reported higher perceived stress (p 0.05). Use of a humor coping style seemed to reduce the effect of perceived stress on depressive symptoms (p = 0.02 for interaction) while use of instrumental support (p = 0.04) and behavioral disengagement (p 0.01) were both associated with more symptoms of depression among those who perceived more stress. There were no strong interactions between coping style and hurricane experience.Conclusion: Coping styles are potential moderators of the effects of stress on mental health of pregnant women.

The effect of post-traumatic stress disorder on HIV disease progression following hurricane Katrina

AIDS Care ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1298-1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen H. Reilly ◽  
Rebecca A. Clark ◽  
Norine Schmidt ◽  
Charles C. Benight ◽  
Patricia Kissinger
Keyword(s):  
Disease Progression ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Hiv Disease ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic
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