12-Month generic health status and psychological distress outcomes following an Australian natural disaster experience: 2009 Black Saturday Wildfires

Injury ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1443-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wasiak ◽  
P. Mahar ◽  
S. Lee ◽  
E. Paul ◽  
A. Spinks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Disaster Experience

scholarly journals Psychological Distress among College Students: Role of Food Insecurity and Other Social Determinants of Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 4118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monideepa B. Becerra ◽  
Benjamin J. Becerra
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Physical Health Status ◽  
Gender Specific

Food insecurity is a major social determinant of health and an assessment of how it may impact college students’ mental health is imperative, as well as differential associations by self-identified gender. A cross-sectional survey was used among college students of a mid-size minority-serving institution with a final sample size of 302 participants aged 18 years or above. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable regressions were conducted, by gender, to assess the role of food insecurity (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) six-item questionnaire), on mental health outcomes (Kessler-6 scale and self-perception). All the statistical analyses were conducted in SPSS version 24 (IBM, Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA) with an alpha less than 0.05 used to denote significance. Among those with food insecurity, the odds of reporting psychological distress (odds ratio (OR) = 3.645, p < 0.05) and an average to very poor self-perceived mental health status (OR = 2.687, p <0.05) were higher compared to their food-secure counterparts, with the results consistent in a gender-specific analysis as well. Compared to men, however, women had higher odds of psychological distress (OR = 2.280, p < 0.05), as well as reporting average to very poor self-perceived mental health statuses (OR = 2.700, p < 0.05). Among women, any alcohol use in the past 12 months (OR = 2.505, p < 0.05) and a low self-perceived physical health status (OR = 3.601, p < 0.05) were associated with an average to very poor self-perceived mental health status. Among men, a low perceived physical health status was associated with higher odds of psychological distress (OR = 3.477, p < 0.05). The results of our study highlight that food insecurity should be considered a social determinant of mental health wellbeing. In addition, gender-specific trends in mental health highlight the need for targeted interventions for prevention and treatment.

scholarly journals Do current smokers use more cigarettes and become more dependent on nicotine because of psychological distress after a natural disaster?

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam C. Alexander ◽  
Kenneth D. Ward ◽  
David R. Forde ◽  
Michelle Stockton ◽  
Mary C. Read
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Natural Disaster

scholarly journals Should Psychological Distress Screening in the Community Account for Self-Perceived Health Status?

2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 526-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Schmitz ◽  
Alain Lesage ◽  
JianLi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Perceived Health Status ◽  
Screening Performance

Objective: Psychological distress questionnaires are often used as screening instruments for mental disorders in clinical and epidemiologic settings. Poor physical health may affect the screening properties of a questionnaire. We evaluate the effect of self-perceived health status on the screening performance of the Kessler K10 and K6 scales in a community sample. Methods: We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS 1.2). Psychological distress was measured by the 6–item (K6) and the 10–item (K10) Kessler instrument. Depression and anxiety disorders were assessed using the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (1–month estimates). Optimal cut-off points regarding health status were determined by finding the K6 and K10 values that allowed for the best balance between sensitivity and specificity. Stratum-specific likelihood ratios (SSLRs) were computed to define strata with discriminating power. Results: There was a strong association between the screening performance of the K6 and K10 scales and self-perceived health status: for the K10 scale, a cut-off point of 5/6 yielded the best balance between sensitivity and specificity for subjects with excellent or very good health status, while a cut-off point of 14/15 yielded the best balance between sensitivity and specificity for subjects with poor health status. Conclusions: The combination of the K6 and K10 scales, with a self-rated health status item, may improve screening properties of the 2 scales.

Does A Major Earthquake Change Job Preferences and Human Values?

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigehiro Oishi ◽  
Ayano Yagi ◽  
Asuka Komiya ◽  
Florian Kohlbacher ◽  
Takashi Kusumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disaster ◽  
European Association ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Human Values ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Job Preferences ◽  
Major Earthquake ◽  
Disaster Experience ◽  
Job Application ◽  
Application Data

Does a major natural disaster change human values and job preferences? The present studies examined whether the experience of a natural disaster experience shifts people's values and job preferences toward pro–social directions. In Study 1 (cross–temporal analysis), we analysed job application data in nine cities in Japan over 12 years and found that the popularity of pro–social occupations (e.g. firefighter) increased after the Great Hanshin–Awaji Earthquake in 1995, in particular the area hit hardest by the quake. In Study 2 (a large national survey), we found that Japanese respondents who had experienced a major earthquake are more likely to hold a pro–social job than those who never experienced a major earthquake. Together, the current findings suggest that the experience of a major natural disaster shifts human values from the egocentric to the allocentric direction, which in turn could result in a social structure that values pro–social occupations. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document