Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-ktprf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-09T08:39:28.201Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Distress Following the 2004 and 2005 Florida Hurricanes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2019

Carol S. Fullerton ,
Holly B. Herberman Mash ,
Leming Wang ,
Joshua C. Morganstein  and
Robert J. Ursano
Carol S. Fullerton
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
Holly B. Herberman Mash*
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
Leming Wang
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
Joshua C. Morganstein
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
Robert J. Ursano
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
*
Correspondence and reprint requests Holly B. Herberman Mash, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA (e-mail: holly.herberman-mash.ctr@usuhs.edu).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Community characteristics, such as perceived collective efficacy, a measure of community strength, can affect mental health outcomes following disasters. We examined the association of perceived collective efficacy with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and frequent mental distress (14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month) following exposure to the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.

Methods

Participants were 1486 Florida Department of Health workers who completed anonymous questionnaires that were distributed electronically 9 months after the 2005 hurricane season. Participant ages ranged from 20 to 79 years (mean, 48; SD, 10.7), and the majority were female (79%), white (75%), and currently married (64%). Fifty percent had a BA/BS degree or higher.

Results

In 2 separate logistic regression models, each adjusted for individual sociodemographics, community socioeconomic characteristics, individual injury/damage, and community storm damage, lower perceived collective efficacy was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of having PTSD (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.96), and lower collective efficacy was significantly associated with frequent mental distress (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.96).

Conclusions

Programs enhancing community collective efficacy may be a significant part of prevention practices and possibly lead to a reduction in the rate of PTSD and persistent distress postdisaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:44–52).

Keywords

stress disorderspost-traumatichurricanerescue worknatural disastersemergency responders

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Special Issue 1: Serial Hurricanes , February 2019 , pp. 44 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

1. Akbayrak, N, Oflaz, F, Aslan, O, et al. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among military health professionals in Turkey. Mil Med. 2005;170:125-129.Google Scholar
2. Benedek, DM, Fullerton, C, Ursano, RJ. First responders: mental health consequences of natural and human-made disasters for public health and public safety workers. Annu Rev Public Health. 2007;28:55-68.Google Scholar
3. Carson, MA, Paulus, LA, Lasko, NB, et al. Psychophysiologic assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam nurse veterans who witnessed injury or death. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000;68:890-897.Google Scholar
4. Kerasiotis, B, Motta, RW. Assessment of PTSD symptoms in emergency room, intensive care unit, and general floor nurses. Int J Emerg Ment Health. 2004;6:121-133.Google Scholar
5. Bai, Y, Lin, CC, Lin, CY, et al. Survey of stress reactions among health care workers involved with the SARS outbreak. Psychiatr Serv. 2004;55:1055-1057.Google Scholar
6. Fullerton, CS, Ursano, RJ, Liu, X, et al. Depressive symptom severity and community collective efficacy following the 2004 Florida Hurricanes. PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0130863. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130863Google Scholar
7. Grieger, TA, Fullerton, CS, Ursano, RJ, et al. Acute stress disorder, alcohol use, and perception of safety among hospital staff after the sniper attacks. Psychiatr Serv. 2003;54:1383-1387.Google Scholar
8. Perrin, MA, Di Grande, L, Wheeler, K, et al. Differences in PTSD prevalence and associated risk factors among World Trade Center disaster rescue and recovery workers. Am J Psychiatry. 2007;164:1385-1394.Google Scholar
9. Ursano, RJ, McKibben, JBA, Reissman, DB, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder and community collective efficacy following the 2004 Florida hurricanes. PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e88467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088467Google Scholar
10. van Kamp, I, van der Velden, PG, Stellato, RK, et al. Physical and mental health shortly after a disaster: first results from the Enschede firework disaster study. Eur J Public Health. 2006;16:253-259.Google Scholar
11. Witteveen, AB, Bramsen, I, Twisk, JWR, et al. Psychological distress of rescue workers eight and one-half years after professional involvement in the Amsterdam air disaster. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2007;195:31-40.Google Scholar
12. Sampson, RJ, Raudenbush, SW, Earls, F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: a multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science. 1997;277:918-924.Google Scholar
13. Benight, CC. Collective efficacy following a series of natural disasters. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2004;17:401-420.Google Scholar
14. Norris, FH, Stevens, SP, Pfefferbaum, B, et al. Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. Am J Community Psychol. 2008;41:127-150.Google Scholar
15. Drury, J. Collective resilience in mass emergencies and disasters: a social identity model. In: Jetten J, Haslam C, Haslam SA, eds. The Social Cure: Identity, Health, and Well-being. Hove, UK: Psychology Press; 2012:195-215.Google Scholar
16. Drury, J, Brown, R, Gonzalez, R, et al. Emergent social identity and observing social support predict social support provided by survivors in a disaster: solidarity in the 2010 Chile earthquake. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2016;46:209-222.Google Scholar
17. Fay-Ramirez, S, Antrobus, E, Piquero, AR. Assessing the effect of the Queensland “Summer of Disasters” on perceptions of collective efficacy. Soc Sci Res. 2015;54:21-35.Google Scholar
18. Gapen, M, Cross, D, Ortigo, K, et al. Perceived neighborhood disorder, community cohesion, and PTSD symptoms among low-income African Americans in an urban health setting. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2011;81:31-37.Google Scholar
19. Coleman, J. Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 1990.Google Scholar
20. Council of Europe. Concerted Development of Social Cohesion Indicators: Methodological Guide. Strasbourg: Council of Europe; 2005.Google Scholar
21. Cohen, DA, Farley, TA, Mason, K. Why is poverty unhealthy? Social and physical mediators. Soc Sci Med. 2003;57:1631-1641.Google Scholar
22. Cohen, DA, Finch, BK, Bower, A, et al. Collective efficacy and obesity: the potential influence of social factors on health. Soc Sci Med. 2006;62:769-778.Google Scholar
23. Odgers, CL, Moffitt, TE, Tach, LM, et al. The protective effects of neighborhood collective efficacy on British children growing up in deprivation: a developmental analysis. Dev Psychol. 2009;45:942-957.Google Scholar
24. Sapouna, M. Collective efficacy in the school context: does it help explain victimization and bullying among Greek primary and secondary school students? J Interpers Violence. 2010;25:1912-1927.Google Scholar
25. Simons, RL, Simons, LG, Burt, CH, et al. Collective efficacy, authoritative parenting, and delinquency: a longitudinal test of a model integrating community-and-family level processes. Criminol. 2005;43:989-1029.Google Scholar
26. Xue, Y, Leventhal, T, Brooks-Gunn, J, et al. Neighborhood residence and mental health problems of 5- to 11-year-olds. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:554-563.Google Scholar
27. Vaeth, PA, Ramisetty-Mikler, S, Caetano, R. Depression among couples in the United States in the context of intimate partner violence. J Interpers Violence. 2010;25:771-790.Google Scholar
28. Lowe, SR, Joshi, S, Pietrzak, RH, et al. Mental health and general wellness in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Soc Sci Med. 2015;124:162-170.Google Scholar
29. Matlin, SL, Molock, SD, Tebes, JK. Suicidality and depression among African American adolescents: the role of family and peer support and community connectedness. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2011;81(1):108-117.Google Scholar
30. Maimon, D, Browning, CR, Brooks-Gunn, J. Family attachment and urban adolescent suicide attempts. J Health Soc Behav. 2010;51(3):307-324.Google Scholar
31. Browning, CR. The span of collective efficacy: extending social disorganization theory to partner violence. J Marriage Fam. 2002;64:833-850.Google Scholar
32. Hembree, C, Galea, S, Ahern, J, et al. The urban built environment and overdose mortality in New York City neighborhoods. Health Place. 2005;11:147-156.Google Scholar
33. Acierno, R, Ruggiero, KJ, Galea, S, et al. Psychological sequelae resulting from the 2004 Florida hurricanes: implications for postdisaster intervention. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(suppl 1):S103-S108.Google Scholar
34. US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center. Atlantic Hurricane Season. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2004atlan.shtml. Published 2005. Accessed October 3, 2018.Google Scholar
35. US Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program - Building The Road To Recovery. https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2010/02/12/femas-public-assistance-program-building-road-recovery. Published 2010. Accessed August 6, 2018.Google Scholar
36. US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information. State of the Climate: Hurricanes and Tropical Storms for Annual 2005. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/tropical-cyclones/200513. Published January 2016. Accessed September 25, 2018.Google Scholar
37. Weathers, FW, Ford, J. Psychometric review of PTSD Checklist (PCL-C, PCL-S, PCL-M, PCL- PR). In: Stamm BH, ed. Measurement of Stress, Trauma, and Adaptation. Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press; 1996:250-251.Google Scholar
38. Lang, AJ, Laffaye, C, Satz, LE, et al. Sensitivity and specificity of the PTSD checklist in detecting PTSD in female veterans in primary care. J Trauma Stress. 2003;16:257-264.Google Scholar
39. Walker, EA, Newman, E, Dobie, DJ, et al. Validation of the PTSD checklist in an HMO sample of women. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2002;24:375-380.Google Scholar
40. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measuring Healthy Days: Population Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life. Atlanta, GA: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2000.Google Scholar
41. Rothman, K, Greenland, S. Modern Epidemiology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1998.Google Scholar
42. SAS Institute Inc. SAS® 9.4 Software. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc; 2013.Google Scholar
43. Bills, CB, Levy, NA, Sharma, V, et al. Mental health of workers and volunteers responding to events of 9/11: review of the literature. Mt Sinai J Med. 2008;75:115-127.Google Scholar
44. Bryant, RA, Harvey, AG. Posttraumatic stress reactions in volunteer firefighters. J Trauma Stress. 1996;9:51-62.Google Scholar
45. Fullerton, CS, Ursano, RJ, Wang, L. Acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression in disaster or rescue workers. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161:1370-1376.Google Scholar
46. Hobfoll, SE, Tracy, M, Galea, S. The impact of resource loss and traumatic growth on probable PTSD and depression following terrorist attacks. J Trauma Stress. 2006;19:867-878.Google Scholar
47. Breslau, N, Kessler, RC, Chilcoat, HD, et al. Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in the community: the 1996 Detroit Area Survey of Trauma. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998;55:626-632.Google Scholar
48. Hobfoll, SE, Watson, P, Bell, CC, et al. Five elements of immediate and mid-term mass trauma intervention: empirical evidence. Psychiatry. 2007;70:283-315.Google Scholar
49. Fontana, A, Rosenheck, R. Effectiveness and cost of the inpatient treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: comparison of three models of treatment. Am J Psychiatry. 1997;154:758-765.Google Scholar
50. Jack, K, Glied, S. The public costs of mental health response: lessons from the New York City post-9/11 needs assessment. J Urban Health. 2002;79:332-339.Google Scholar
51. Siegel, CE, Laska, E, Meisner, M. Estimating capacity requirements for mental health services after a disaster has occurred: a call for new data. Am J Public Health. 2004;94:582-585.Google Scholar
52. Tanielian, TL, Jaycox, LH. Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation; 2008.Google Scholar
53. Schoenbaum, M, Butler, B, Kataoka, S, et al. Promoting mental health recovery after hurricanes Katrina and Rita: what can be done at what cost. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66:906-914.Google Scholar