@article{ref1,
title="Loss of loved ones or home due to a disaster: effects over time on distress in immigrant ethnic minorities",
journal="Transcultural psychiatry",
year="2018",
author="Smid, Geert E. and Drogendijk, Annelieke N. and Knipscheer, Jeroen and Boelen, Paul A. and Kleber, Rolf J.",
volume="55",
number="5",
pages="648-668",
abstract="Exposure to mass trauma may bring about increased sensitivity to new or ongoing stressors. It is unclear whether sensitivity to stress associated with ethnic minority/immigrant status may be affected by severe exposure to mass trauma. We examined whether the loss of loved ones or home due to a disaster is associated with more persistent disaster-related distress in ethnic minorities compared with Dutch natives in the Netherlands. In residents affected by a fireworks disaster ( N = 1029), we assessed disaster-related distress after 3 weeks, 18 months, and 4 years. The effects of loss of loved ones or home and ethnic minority/immigrant status on distress were analyzed using latent growth modeling. After controlling for age, gender, education, employment, and post-disaster stressful life events, the loss of loved ones was associated with more persistent disaster-related distress in ethnic minorities compared with natives at 18 months, and the loss of home was associated with more persistent disaster-related distress in ethnic minorities compared with natives between 18 months and 4 years. Our results suggest that the loss of loved ones may increase sensitivity to stress associated with ethnic minority/immigrant status during the early phase of adaptation to a disaster. Loss of home may lead to further resource loss and thereby increase sensitivity to stress associated with ethnic minority/immigrant status in the long term. Efforts to prevent stress-related psychopathology following mass trauma should specifically target ethnic minority groups, notably refugees and asylum seekers, who often experienced multiple losses of loved ones as well as their homes.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1363-4615",
doi="10.1177/1363461518784355",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1363461518784355"
}