Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY
Volume 80, Issue 2, Pages 237-247Publisher
AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01027.x
Keywords
African Americans; women; single parents; Hurricane Katrina; New Orleans; natural disasters; posttraumatic stress disorder; health outcomes
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01HD046162]
- National Science Foundation
- MacArthur Foundation
- Princeton Center for Economic Policy Studies
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The purpose of this study was to document changes in mental and physical health among 392 low-income parents exposed to Hurricane Katrina and to explore how hurricane-related stressors and loss relate to post-Katrina well-being. The prevalence of probable serious mental illness doubled, and nearly half of the respondents exhibited probable posttraumatic stress disorder. Higher levels of hurricane-related loss and stressors were generally associated with worse health outcomes, controlling for baseline sociodemographic and health measures. Higher baseline resources predicted fewer hurricane-associated stressors, but the consequences of stressors and loss were similar regardless of baseline resources. Adverse health consequences of Hurricane Katrina persisted for a year or more and were most severe for those experiencing the most stressors and loss. Long-term health and mental health services are needed for low-income disaster survivors, especially those who experience disaster-related stressors and loss.
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