Citation

Zwiebach L, Rhodes J, Roemer L. J. Trauma. Stress 2012; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.20579

PMID

21089080

Abstract

Prior research has shown that losses of personal, social, and material resources resulting from traumatic events significantly contribute to psychopathology. Gains of such resources have been shown to have protective effects on posttrauma mental health. Few previous studies of resource change, however, have controlled for pretrauma mental health. The current study, which included 402 survivors of Hurricane Katrina, made use of data collected prehurricane to examine patterns of loss and gain and subsequent mental health. The loss of social support, physical health, and personal property were shown to significantly affect posthurricane psychological distress over and above the effect of prehurricane psychological functioning and disaster exposure. Gains in resources showed no effect. Implications for practice and policy were discussed.

Language: en