Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Hurricane Sandy Exposure and the Mental Health of World Trade Center Responders. |
| Authors: |
Bromet, Evelyn J., Clouston, Sean, Gonzalez, Adam, Kotov, Roman, Guerrera, Kathryn M., Luft, Benjamin J. |
| Source: |
Journal of Traumatic Stress. Apr2017, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p107-114. 8p. 2 Charts. |
| Subjects: |
Hurricane Sandy, 2012, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Mental depression, Mental health, Natural disasters, Diagnosis of mental depression, Diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, Terrorism & psychology, Medical emergencies, Disasters, Longitudinal method, Questionnaires, Research funding, Odds ratio, Psychology |
| Geographic Terms: |
New York (State) |
| Abstract: |
The psychological consequences of a second disaster on populations exposed to an earlier disaster have rarely been studied prospectively. Using a pre- and postdesign, we examined the effects of Hurricane Sandy on possible World Trade Center (WTC) related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Checklist score of ≥ 50) and overall depression (major depressive disorder [MDD]; Patient Health Questionnaire depression score of ≥ 10) among 870 WTC responders with a follow-up monitoring visit at the Long Island WTC Health Program during the 6 months post-Hurricane Sandy. The Hurricane Sandy exposures evaluated were damage to home (8.3%) and to possessions (7.8%), gasoline shortage (24.1%), prolonged power outage (42.7%), and filing a Federal Emergency Management Agency claim (11.3%). A composite exposure score also was constructed. In unadjusted analyses, Hurricane Sandy exposures were associated with 1.77 to 5.38 increased likelihood of PTSD and 1.58 to 4.13 likelihood of MDD; odds ratios for ≥ 3 exposures were 6.47 for PTSD and 6.45 for MDD. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, WTC exposure, pre-Hurricane Sandy mental health status, and time between assessments, reporting ≥ 3 Hurricane Sandy exposures was associated with a 3.29 and 3.71 increased likelihood of PTSD and MDD, respectively. These findings underscore the importance of assessing the impact of a subsequent disaster in ongoing responder health surveillance programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
