Recovery from PTSD following Hurricane Katrina

Background: We examined patterns and correlates of speed of recovery of estimated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among people who developed PTSD in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Method: A probability sample of prehurricane residents of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina was administered a telephone survey 7–19 months following the hurricane and again 24–27 months posthurricane. The baseline survey assessed PTSD using a validated screening scale and assessed a number of hypothesized predictors of PTSD recovery that included sociodemographics, prehurricane history of psychopathology, hurricane‐related stressors, social support, and social competence. Exposure to posthurricane stressors and course of estimated PTSD were assessed in a follow‐up interview. Results: An estimated 17.1% of respondents had a history of estimated hurricane‐related PTSD at baseline and 29.2% by the follow‐up survey. Of the respondents who developed estimated hurricane‐related PTSD, 39.0% recovered by the time of the follow‐up survey with a mean duration of 16.5 months. Predictors of slow recovery included exposure to a life‐threatening situation, hurricane‐related housing adversity, and high income. Other sociodemographics, history of psychopathology, social support, social competence, and posthurricane stressors were unrelated to recovery from estimated PTSD. Conclusions: The majority of adults who developed estimated PTSD after Hurricane Katrina did not recover within 18–27 months. Delayed onset was common. Findings document the importance of initial trauma exposure severity in predicting course of illness and suggest that pre‐ and posttrauma factors typically associated with course of estimated PTSD did not influence recovery following Hurricane Katrina. Depression and Anxiety, 2011.  © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

[1]  L. Montada,et al.  Life crises and experiences of loss in adulthood , 2013 .

[2]  R. Kessler,et al.  Trends in serious emotional disturbance among youths exposed to Hurricane Katrina. , 2010, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[3]  Matthew D. Lakoma,et al.  Serious emotional disturbance among youths exposed to Hurricane Katrina 2 years postdisaster. , 2009, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[4]  R. Kessler,et al.  National comorbidity survey replication adolescent supplement (NCS-A): I. Background and measures. , 2009, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[5]  S. Galea,et al.  Financial and social circumstances and the incidence and course of PTSD in Mississippi during the first two years after Hurricane Katrina. , 2008, Journal of traumatic stress.

[6]  R. Kessler,et al.  Trends in mental illness and suicidality after Hurricane Katrina , 2008, Molecular Psychiatry.

[7]  Piyadasa Kodituwakku,et al.  Symptoms and coping in Sri Lanka 20–21 months after the 2004 tsunami , 2008, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[8]  Lynda A. King,et al.  Exposure to hurricane-related stressors and mental illness after Hurricane Katrina. , 2007, Archives of general psychiatry.

[9]  Matthew K Nock,et al.  Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview: development, reliability, and validity in an adolescent sample. , 2007, Psychological assessment.

[10]  P. Muntner,et al.  Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a New Orleans Workforce Following Hurricane Katrina , 2007, Journal of Urban Health.

[11]  B. Dohrenwend,et al.  The Psychological Risks of Vietnam for U.S. Veterans: A Revisit with New Data and Methods , 2006, Science.

[12]  J. Zohar,et al.  Natural course of posttraumatic stress disorder: a 20-month prospective study of Turkish earthquake survivors. , 2006, The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

[13]  Richard Garfield,et al.  On the Edge: Children and Families Displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Face a Looming Medical and Mental Health Crisis , 2006 .

[14]  S. Rosenbaum US health policy in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. , 2006, JAMA.

[15]  D. Stein,et al.  Symptomatology and psychopathology of mental health problems after disaster. , 2006, The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

[16]  J. Davidson,et al.  The extent and impact of mental health problems after disaster. , 2006, The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

[17]  M. Höfler,et al.  Longitudinal course of posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a community sample of adolescents and young adults. , 2005, The American journal of psychiatry.

[18]  S. Galea,et al.  The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. , 2005, Epidemiologic reviews.

[19]  Chris R Brewin,et al.  Systematic review of screening instruments for adults at risk of PTSD. , 2005, Journal of traumatic stress.

[20]  Fran H Norris,et al.  Postdisaster PTSD Over Four Waves of a Panel Study of Mexico's 1999 Flood , 2004, Journal of traumatic stress.

[21]  J. Stellman,et al.  Risk factors for course of posttraumatic stress disorder among Vietnam veterans: a 14-year follow-up of American Legionnaires. , 2003, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[22]  S. Klimidis,et al.  Prevalence of psychiatric disorder following the 1988 Yun Nan (China) earthquake , 2003, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

[23]  F. Norris,et al.  60,000 Disaster Victims Speak: Part I. An Empirical Review of the Empirical Literature, 1981—2001 , 2002, Psychiatry.

[24]  E. Foa,et al.  Brief screening instrument for post-traumatic stress disorder , 2002, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[25]  C. Brewin,et al.  Meta-analysis of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed adults. , 2000, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[26]  A. McFarlane Posttraumatic stress disorder: a model of the longitudinal course and the role of risk factors. , 2000, The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

[27]  D. King,et al.  Posttraumatic stress disorder in a national sample of female and male Vietnam veterans: risk factors, war-zone stressors, and resilience-recovery variables. , 1999, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[28]  Jasmin K. Riad,et al.  Stability and change in stress, resources, and psychological distress following natural disaster: Findings from hurricane Andrew. , 1999, Anxiety, stress, and coping.

[29]  R. Kessler,et al.  Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in the community: the 1996 Detroit Area Survey of Trauma. , 1998, Archives of general psychiatry.

[30]  Lynda A. King,et al.  Resilience-recovery factors in post-traumatic stress disorder among female and male Vietnam veterans: hardiness, postwar social support, and additional stressful life events. , 1998, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[31]  M. First,et al.  Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders : SCID-I : clinical version : scoresheet , 1997 .

[32]  F. Norris,et al.  Received and perceived social support in times of stress: a test of the social support deterioration deterrence model. , 1996, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[33]  R. Kessler,et al.  Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. , 1995, Archives of general psychiatry.

[34]  Terri Gullickson,et al.  International Handbook of Traumatic Stress Syndromes. , 1995 .

[35]  M. Mikulincer,et al.  Does hardiness contribute to mental health during a stressful real-life situation? The roles of appraisal and coping. , 1995, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[36]  Fran H. Norris,et al.  Chronic Stress as a Mediator of Acute Stress: The Case of Hurricane Hugo1 , 1993 .

[37]  John B. Willett,et al.  It’s About Time: Using Discrete-Time Survival Analysis to Study Duration and the Timing of Events , 1993 .

[38]  F H Norris,et al.  A test of the social support deterioration model in the context of natural disaster. , 1993, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[39]  A. Leonard,et al.  The Buffalo Creek Disaster , 1993 .

[40]  K. Kaniasty,et al.  A longitudinal study of the effects of various crime prevention strategies on criminal victimization, fear of crime, and psychological distress , 1992, American journal of community psychology.

[41]  A. McFarlane,et al.  Multiple Diagnoses in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Victims of a Natural Disaster , 1992, The Journal of nervous and mental disease.

[42]  N. Breslau,et al.  Posttraumatic stress disorder in an urban population of young adults: risk factors for chronicity. , 1992, The American journal of psychiatry.

[43]  R. C. Silver,et al.  Reconsidering assumptions about coping with loss: An overview of current research. , 1992 .

[44]  R. Kessler,et al.  The family history method: whose psychiatric history is measured? , 1991, The American journal of psychiatry.

[45]  R. C. Silver,et al.  Reconsidering the attribution-adjustment relation following a major negative event: coping with the loss of a child. , 1990, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[46]  R. Kessler,et al.  Socioeconomic status differences in vulnerability to undesirable life events. , 1990, Journal of health and social behavior.