Prevalence, characteristics, and long-term sequelae of natural disaster exposure in the general population

• Published in: Journal of traumatic stress Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 661 - 679
• Main Authors: Briere, John, Elliott, Diana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germantown Periodicals Service Company 01.10.2000; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; disaster; Disasters; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Natural Disasters; Population Surveillance; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Prevalence; Psychological Distress; psychological symptoms; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Severity of Illness Index; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms; Trauma Symptom Inventory; Traumatic Events Survey; United States - epidemiology; United States of America; Victimology; United States; North America; America; Mood disorder; Social environment; Human; Prevalence; Mental health; Depression; Disaster; Emotion emotionality; Psychological effect; Victimology; Stress; Personal experience; Symptomatology; Survey; Follow up study; Mental disorder; Coping; Physical injury; Typology; Antecedent; Comparative study; Public health
• ISSN: 0894-9867; 1573-6598
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1007814301369

A sample of 935 participants from the general population completed a mail‐out questionnaire containing the Trauma Symptom Inventory (J. Briere, 1995) and the Traumatic Events Survey (D. M. Elliott, 1992). The lifetime seif‐reported prevalence of natural disasters in this sample was 22%. Although time from the last disaster to involvement in the study was an average of 13 years, previous disaster was associated with significantly higher scores on 6 of 10 symptom scales. Disaster characteristics (especially the presence of physical injury, fear of death, and property loss) were better predictors of symptomatology than was disaster type. Disaster exposure continued to predict symptomatology after controlling for interpersonal violence history, although interpersonal violence accounted for more overall symptom variance.