Development and predictors of psychological outcomes following the 2008 earthquake in Iceland: a longitudinal cohort study

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edda Bjork Thordardottir ◽  
Hulda Gudmundsdottir ◽  
Berglind Gudmundsdottir ◽  
Anna Margrét Hrólfsdóttir ◽  
Thor Aspelund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Cohort Study ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Longitudinal Cohort ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Post Disaster

Aims: On 29 May 2008, an earthquake struck in South Iceland. The aim of this study was to explore the trajectories of post-traumatic stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms among exposed inhabitants during the first year following the earthquake, as well as predictors for symptomology. Methods: This was a longitudinal cohort study based on a sample that was randomly selected from the earthquake-stricken area ( n = 1301). Participants answered a questionnaire assessing demographic and disaster-related factors 2 months after the earthquake. In addition, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety were assessed 2, 4, 8 and 12 months post-disaster. Results: Two months after the earthquake, 5.2% of the participants reported PTSD symptoms, 6.7% depression and 6.4% anxiety symptoms. When comparing first and last time points only, we found a significant decrease in anxiety ( p = 0.05), particulary among females ( p = 0.05), those with a primary education ( p = 0.01), prior history of accidents/disasters ( p = 0.02) and those experiencing damage to their home ( p = 0.02). No significant trends were found when the development of other symptoms between the four time points was assessed. Conclusions: Findings indicate a reduction in anxiety symptoms between 2 and 12 months post-disaster, with PTSD and depression symptoms remaining fairly constant across time. No trends in symptomology were observed over time. The results highlight the need for continued monitoring of those affected by disasters and the identification of subgroups at risk in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Post-traumatic stress reactions of children and adolescents exposed to the Athens 1999 earthquake

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Giannopoulou ◽  
Marios Strouthos ◽  
Patrick Smith ◽  
Anastasia Dikaiakou ◽  
Vasiliki Galanopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
And Gender

AbstractThis study was undertaken 6–7 months after the 1999 Athens earthquake with the aim of exploring the differences in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression symptoms between a group of children exposed to earthquake with a group of children not exposed to it, but with both groups potentially exposed to the same levels of post-earthquake adversities. The study included 2037 children, aged 9–17 years, who were assessed with self-completed questionnaires. The directly exposed group (N = 1752) had significantly higher anxiety and PTSD scores than the indirectly exposed group (N = 284), but no significant group differences were found in depression scores. Girls in both groups reported significantly more PTSD, anxiety and depressive symptoms than boys. Younger children reported significantly more PTSD and anxiety symptoms than the older ones. No significant interactions were found between direct exposure to earthquake, age group and gender. The severity of PTSD symptoms was most strongly predicted by greater perceived threat during the earthquake, whereas depression was most strongly predicted by the level of post-earthquake adversity. The severity of anxiety symptoms was most strongly predicted by female gender. These findings are discussed in relation to the need for screening and intervention following earthquake events.

scholarly journals Interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes following disaster

BJPsych Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Molyneaux ◽  
Lisa Gibbs ◽  
Richard A. Bryant ◽  
Cathy Humphreys ◽  
Kelsey Hegarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Post Disaster

Background Disasters pose a documented risk to mental health, with a range of peri- and post-disaster factors (both pre-existing and disaster-precipitated) linked to adverse outcomes. Among these, increasing empirical attention is being paid to the relation between disasters and violence. Aims This study examined self-reported experiences of assault or violence victimisation among communities affected by high, medium, and low disaster severity following the 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia. The association between violence, mental health outcomes and alcohol misuse was also investigated. Method Participants were 1016 adults from high-, medium- and low-affected communities, 3–4 years after an Australian bushfire disaster. Rates of reported violence were compared by areas of bushfire-affectedness. Logistic regression models were applied separately to men and women to assess the experience of violence in predicting general and fire-related post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and alcohol misuse. Results Reports of experiencing violence were significantly higher among high bushfire-affected compared with low bushfire-affected regions. Analyses indicated the significant relationship between disaster-affectedness and violence was observed for women only, with rates of 1.0, 0 and 7.4% in low, medium and high bushfire-affected areas, respectively. Among women living in high bushfire-affected areas, negative change to income was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing violence (odds ratio, 4.68). For women, post-disaster violence was associated with more severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms. Conclusions Women residing within high bushfire-affected communities experienced the highest levels of violence. These post-disaster experiences of violence are associated with post-disaster changes to income and with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms among women. These findings have critical implications for the assessment of, and interventions for, women experiencing or at risk of violence post-disaster.

Post-traumatic stress symptoms in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7505-7505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Griffith ◽  
Alyssa L. Fenech ◽  
Ashley Nelson ◽  
Joseph A. Greer ◽  
Jennifer S. Temel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Cell Transplant ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Clinically Significant

7505 Background: Patients admitted for HCT, an intensive and potentially curative therapy for hematologic malignancies, experience a prolonged, isolating hospitalization and endure substantial physical and psychological symptom burden. However, data are limited regarding long-term post-traumatic stress (PTSD) in HCT survivors and its risk factors. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis examining longitudinal data from 250 patients who underwent autologous and allogenic HCT. We used the Post-Traumatic Stress Checklist (PTSD-CL) to assess for PTSD symptoms at six months post-HCT. We used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Bone Marrow Transplant (FACT-BMT), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess quality of life (QOL), depression, and anxiety symptoms at the time of admission for HCT, at week-2 during hospitalization, and at six months post-HCT. We used multivariate regression models to assess factors associated with PTSD symptoms, modeling QOL, depression, and anxiety symptoms separately given their collinearity. Results: The mean age was 56.3 (SD = 13.3). The rate of clinically significant PTSD symptoms at six months post-HCT was 18.9% and these patients experienced hypervigilance (92.3%), avoidance (92.3%), and intrusion (76.9%) symptoms. Among patients without clinically significant PTSD symptoms, 24.5% and 13.7% had clinically significant hypervigilance and avoidance symptoms, respectively. Lower QOL at time of HCT admission (B = -0.04, P = 0.004), and being single (B = -3.35, P = 0.027) were associated with higher PTSD symptoms at six months post-HCT. Higher anxiety at time of HCT admission (B = 1.34, P < 0.001), change in anxiety during HCT hospitalization (B = 0.59, P = 0.006), and being single (B = -3.50, P = 0.017), were associated with higher PTSD symptoms at six months. In a separate model, younger age (B = -0.13, P = 0.017), being single (B = -3.58, P = 0.018), and higher baseline depression symptoms were also associated with higher PTSD symptoms at six months (B = 0.97, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Approximately one fifth of patients undergoing HCT experienced clinically significant PTSD symptoms at six months post-transplant. Patients’ baseline QOL and psychological symptoms emerged as important predictors of their risk for PTSD at six months post-HCT. Thus, interventions to prevent and treat PTSD symptoms in HCT recipients are clearly warranted.

Predictors of Emotional Distress in Combat Military Flight Engineers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reoot Cohen-Koren ◽  
Dror Garbi ◽  
Shirley Gordon ◽  
Nirit Yavnai ◽  
Yifat Erlich Shoham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Severe Injuries ◽  
Career Service ◽  
Post Traumatic

ABSTRACT Objective Exposure to distressing sights (DSs) during combat missions may cause emotional distress. The present study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to DSs involving severe injuries and fatalities during rescue missions and emotional distress, in Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter flight engineers (FEs). Methods Cross-sectional design using self-report questionnaires. The independent variables included demographics, personal, and military variables—exposure to DSs throughout a whole career service. The dependent variables included Depression (Beck Depression Inventory); State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD Checklist—PCL-5); Somatization (Patient Health Questionnaire); Maslach Burnout Inventory; and Coping Strategies (The Brief COPE). The variables PTSD, depression, and anxiety were examined twice: once as dichotomous variables according to the pathology cutoff point and again as a continuous variable to reveal the intensity of symptoms. Results Participants were 106 IAF helicopter FEs (mean age = 39.32, SD = 8.75). Linear regression revealed that initial exposure to distressing battlefield sights (i.e., exposure to severe injuries and fatalities) was a predictor of depression symptoms. Career service FEs aged 31–40 were found to be at the highest risk of emotional distress, with a predictive factor for anxiety symptoms. Use of nonadaptive coping strategies was found to predict depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Conclusion A significant association was found between exposure to DSs involving severe injuries and fatalities during rescue missions and anxiety, depression, somatization, and burnout. This population is generally perceived as tough and resilient, and this study has a unique contribution in identifying its vulnerabilities. Psychological intervention is crucial after participating in such missions.

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