General self-efficacy and posttraumatic stress after a natural disaster: a longitudinal study

• Published in: BMC Psychology Vol. 4; no. 15; p. 15
• Main Authors: Nygaard, Egil, Hussain, Ajmal, Siqveland, Johan, Heir, Trond
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 06.04.2016; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Adult; Asia, Southeastern; Care and treatment; Complications and side effects; Disasters; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Natural disasters; Norway; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Self Efficacy; Self Report; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tsunamis; Asia, Southeastern; Norway; PTSD; Disaster; Posttraumatic stress reactions; Self-efficacy
• ISSN: 2050-7283; 2050-7283
• DOI: 10.1186/s40359-016-0119-2

Self-efficacy may be an important factor in individuals' recovery from posttraumatic stress reactions after a natural disaster. However, few longitudinal studies have investigated whether self-efficacy predicts the course of posttraumatic recovery beyond lower initial levels of distress. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether general self-efficacy is related to recovery from posttraumatic stress reactions from a longitudinal perspective. A total of 617 Norwegians exposed to the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami completed self-report questionnaires measuring their level of disaster exposure and general self-efficacy at 6 months and posttraumatic stress reactions 6 months and 2 years post-disaster. Predictors of changes in posttraumatic stress reactions were analyzed with multivariate mixed effects models. Self-efficacy at 6 months post-disaster was unrelated to trauma exposure and inversely related to posttraumatic stress reactions at 6 months and 2 years post-disaster. However, self-efficacy was not related to recovery from posttraumatic stress reactions between 6 months and 2 years post-disaster. In conclusion, general self-efficacy is related to lower levels of posttraumatic stress reactions in the first months after a disaster but does not appear to be related to improved recovery rates over the longer term.