sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]An example of disaster stressors
Exposure to Hurricane-Related Stressors and Mental Illness After Hurricane Katrina
[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] <nobr>Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH</nobr>; <nobr>Chris R. Brewin, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Michael Gruber, MA</nobr>; <nobr>Russell T. Jones, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Daniel W. King, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Lynda A. King, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Richard J. McNally, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Robert J. Ursano, MD</nobr>; <nobr>Maria Petukhova, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Ronald C. Kessler, PhD</nobr> [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(12):1427-1434.[/FONT]
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<!-- ABS --> <!--startindex-->[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Context Uncertainty exists about the prevalence, severity,<sup> </sup>and correlates of mental disorders among people exposed to Hurricane<sup> </sup>Katrina.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Objective To estimate the prevalence and associations<sup> </sup>between DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders and hurricane-related<sup> </sup>stressors separately among prehurricane residents of the New<sup> </sup>Orleans metropolitan area and the remainder of the areas in<sup> </sup>Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi affected by Katrina.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Design Community survey.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Setting and Participants A probability sample of 1043<sup> </sup>English-speaking prehurricane residents of the areas affected<sup> </sup>by Hurricane Katrina was administered via telephone survey between<sup> </sup>January 19 and March 31, 2006. The survey assessed hurricane-related<sup> </sup>stressors and screened for 30-day DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Main Outcome Measures The K6 screening scale of anxiety-mood<sup> </sup>disorders and the Trauma Screening Questionnaire scale for posttraumatic<sup> </sup>stress disorder (PTSD), both calibrated against blinded structured<sup> </sup>clinical reappraisal interviews to approximate the 30-day prevalence<sup> </sup>of DSM-IV disorders.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Results Prehurricane residents of the New Orleans metropolitan<sup> </sup>area were estimated to have a 49.1% 30-day prevalence of any<sup> </sup>DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorder (30.3% estimated prevalence of<sup> </sup>PTSD) compared with 26.4% (12.5% PTSD) in the remainder of the<sup> </sup>sample. The vast majority of respondents reported exposure to<sup> </sup>hurricane-related stressors. Extent of stressor exposure was<sup> </sup>more strongly related to the outcomes in the New Orleans metropolitan<sup> </sup>area subsample than the remainder of the sample. The stressors<sup> </sup>most strongly related to these outcomes were physical illness/injury<sup> </sup>and physical adversity in the New Orleans metropolitan area<sup> </sup>subsample and property loss in the remainder of the sample.<sup> </sup>Sociodemographic correlates were not explained either by differential<sup> </sup>exposure or reactivity to hurricane-related stressors.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Conclusions The high prevalence of DSM-IV anxiety-mood<sup> </sup>disorders, the strong associations of hurricane-related stressors<sup> </sup>with these outcomes, and the independence of sociodemographics<sup> </sup>from stressors argue that the practical problems associated<sup> </sup>with ongoing stressors are widespread and must be addressed<sup> </sup>to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders in this population.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Author Affiliations: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health (Dr Galea), Ann Arbor; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York (Dr Galea); Department of Psychology, University College London, London, England (Dr Brewin); Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Mr Gruber and Drs Petukhova and Kessler); Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg (Dr Jones); Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs D. King and L. King); Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Dr McNally); and Department of Psychiatry and Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland (Dr Ursano).[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/64/12/1427[/FONT]
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Exposure to Hurricane-Related Stressors and Mental Illness After Hurricane Katrina
[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] <nobr>Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH</nobr>; <nobr>Chris R. Brewin, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Michael Gruber, MA</nobr>; <nobr>Russell T. Jones, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Daniel W. King, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Lynda A. King, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Richard J. McNally, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Robert J. Ursano, MD</nobr>; <nobr>Maria Petukhova, PhD</nobr>; <nobr>Ronald C. Kessler, PhD</nobr> [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(12):1427-1434.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
<!-- ABS --> <!--startindex-->[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Context Uncertainty exists about the prevalence, severity,<sup> </sup>and correlates of mental disorders among people exposed to Hurricane<sup> </sup>Katrina.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Objective To estimate the prevalence and associations<sup> </sup>between DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders and hurricane-related<sup> </sup>stressors separately among prehurricane residents of the New<sup> </sup>Orleans metropolitan area and the remainder of the areas in<sup> </sup>Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi affected by Katrina.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Design Community survey.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Setting and Participants A probability sample of 1043<sup> </sup>English-speaking prehurricane residents of the areas affected<sup> </sup>by Hurricane Katrina was administered via telephone survey between<sup> </sup>January 19 and March 31, 2006. The survey assessed hurricane-related<sup> </sup>stressors and screened for 30-day DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Main Outcome Measures The K6 screening scale of anxiety-mood<sup> </sup>disorders and the Trauma Screening Questionnaire scale for posttraumatic<sup> </sup>stress disorder (PTSD), both calibrated against blinded structured<sup> </sup>clinical reappraisal interviews to approximate the 30-day prevalence<sup> </sup>of DSM-IV disorders.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Results Prehurricane residents of the New Orleans metropolitan<sup> </sup>area were estimated to have a 49.1% 30-day prevalence of any<sup> </sup>DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorder (30.3% estimated prevalence of<sup> </sup>PTSD) compared with 26.4% (12.5% PTSD) in the remainder of the<sup> </sup>sample. The vast majority of respondents reported exposure to<sup> </sup>hurricane-related stressors. Extent of stressor exposure was<sup> </sup>more strongly related to the outcomes in the New Orleans metropolitan<sup> </sup>area subsample than the remainder of the sample. The stressors<sup> </sup>most strongly related to these outcomes were physical illness/injury<sup> </sup>and physical adversity in the New Orleans metropolitan area<sup> </sup>subsample and property loss in the remainder of the sample.<sup> </sup>Sociodemographic correlates were not explained either by differential<sup> </sup>exposure or reactivity to hurricane-related stressors.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Conclusions The high prevalence of DSM-IV anxiety-mood<sup> </sup>disorders, the strong associations of hurricane-related stressors<sup> </sup>with these outcomes, and the independence of sociodemographics<sup> </sup>from stressors argue that the practical problems associated<sup> </sup>with ongoing stressors are widespread and must be addressed<sup> </sup>to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders in this population.<sup> </sup>[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Author Affiliations: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health (Dr Galea), Ann Arbor; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York (Dr Galea); Department of Psychology, University College London, London, England (Dr Brewin); Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Mr Gruber and Drs Petukhova and Kessler); Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg (Dr Jones); Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs D. King and L. King); Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Dr McNally); and Department of Psychiatry and Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland (Dr Ursano).[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/64/12/1427[/FONT]
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