Citation

Ruggiero KJ, Gros K, McCauley JL, Resnick HS, Morgan M, Kilpatrick DG, Muzzy W, Acierno RE. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2012; 6(1): 26-32.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina (Drs Ruggiero, Gros, McCauley, Resnick, Kilpatrick, Muzzy, and Acierno); and Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Drs Ruggiero and Acierno), Charleston, South Carolina. Mr Morgan is with Abt SRBI, New York, New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1001/dmp.2012.7

PMID

22490934

Abstract

Objective:  To examine the mental health effects of Hurricane Ike, the third costliest hurricane in US history, which devastated the upper Texas coast in September 2008. Method:  Structured telephone interviews assessing immediate effects of Hurricane Ike (damage, loss, displacement) and mental health diagnoses were administered via random digit-dial methods to a household probability sample of 255 Hurricane Ike-affected adults in Galveston and Chambers counties. Results:  Three-fourths of respondents evacuated the area because of Hurricane Ike and nearly 40% were displaced for at least one week. Postdisaster mental health prevalence estimates were 5.9% for posttraumatic stress disorder, 4.5% for major depressive episode, and 9.3% for generalized anxiety disorder. Bivariate analyses suggested that peritraumatic indicators of hurricane exposure severity-such as lack of adequate clean clothing, electricity, food, money, transportation, or water for at least one week-were most consistently associated with mental health problems. Conclusions:  The significant contribution of factors such as loss of housing, financial means, clothing, food, and water to the development and/or maintenance of negative mental health consequences highlights the importance of systemic postdisaster intervention resources targeted to meet basic needs in the postdisaster period.

Language: en