Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Natural Disaster”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Relationship between psychiatric impairment and a natural disaster: the role of distress.

The relationship between adversity, distress and psychiatric impairment was examined in a group of 469 firefighters who had an intense exposure to an Australian bushfire disaster. The data suggested that psychiatric impairment measured by the General Health Questionnaire and distress measured by the Impact of Event Scale were relatively separate phenomena. Psychiatric impairment in these people appeared to be related more to their level of distress after the fires than to the severity of their exposure and losses.

Adult↗

A longitudinal study of the psychological morbidity in children due to a natural disaster.

This longitudinal study examined the psychological impact of a bushfire disaster on a group of 808 children aged from 5 to 12. Contrary to prediction, the prevalence of behaviour and emotional problems 2 months after the fire was less than the prevalence in a carefully selected comparison group. Rather than decrease with time, the prevalence of psychological morbidity increased significantly, being as great 26 months after the disaster as at 8 months.

Australia↗

International medical response to a natural disaster: lessons learned from the Bam earthquake experience.

An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale devastated Bam, Iran on the morning of 26 December 2003. Due to the great health demands and collapse of health facilities, international aid could have been a great resource in the area. Despite sufficient amounts and types of resources provided by international teams, the efficacy of international assistance was not supported in Bam, as has been experienced in similar events in other countries. Based on the observations in the region and collecting and analyzing documents about the disaster, this manuscript provides an overview of the medical needs during the disaster and describes the international medical response. The lessons learned include: (1) necessity of developing a national search and rescue strategy; (2) designing an alarm system; (3) establishing an international incident command system; (4) increasing the efficacy of the arrival and implementation of a foreign field hospital; and (5) developing a flowchart for deploying international assistance.

Delivery of Health Care↗

Natural disaster and depression: a prospective investigation of reactions to the 1993 midwest floods.

A statewide sample of 1735 Iowa residents, approximately half of whom were victims of the 1993 Midwest Floods, participated in interviews 1 year prior to, and 30 to 90 days after, the disaster. Employing a rigorous methodology including both control-group comparisons and predisaster assessments, we performed a systematic evaluation of the disaster's impact. Overall, the disaster led to true but small rises in depressive symptoms and diagnoses 60-90 days postflood. The disaster-psychopathology effect was not moderated by predisaster depressive symptoms or diagnostically defined depression; rather, predisaster symptoms and diagnoses uniquely contributed to increases in postdisaster distress. However, increases in symptoms as a function of flood impact were slightly greater among respondents with the lowest incomes and among residents living in small rural communities, as opposed to on farms or in cities. Implications for individual- and community-level disaster response are discussed.

Adjustment Disorders↗

The effect of relocation after a natural disaster.

Twenty-five women remaining in a city devastated by an earthquake were compared with 24 relocated survivors and 25 comparison women. The women were administered a structured PTSD interview, the Hamilton Depression Scale, and SCL-90-R. The women in both exposed groups showed significantly more symptoms of avoidance, arousal, and total PTSD than the comparison group. The women in the relocated city had significantly higher depression scores than the women in the earthquake city. On the SCL-90-R, relocated women were most symptomatic and comparison group women were least symptomatic. Relocation after a disaster appears to be associated more with risk for depression than with PTSD in situations where recovery is delayed following the trauma.

Adult↗

Coping self-efficacy perceptions as a mediator between acute stress response and long-term distress following natural disasters.

The mediating effect of coping self-efficacy (CSE) perceptions between acute stress responses (ASR) and 1-year distress following two disasters was tested. Between 3 and 8 weeks after the second disaster and again at 1 year, 46 residents completed questionnaires. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and global distress served as outcomes. Multiple regression demonstrated that ASR and Time I CSE were significant predictors of both Time 1 outcomes. Time 1 PTSD symptoms and Time 2 CSE were significant factors for Time 2 PTSD symptoms. Gender was significant for Time 2 PTSD symptoms, but not for Time 2 global distress. Longitudinally, Time 1 CSE predicted Time 2 PTSD symptoms, but not general distress. CSE mediated between ASR and both psychological outcomes at Time 2. Coping self-efficacy perceptions provide a possible intervention target.

Acute Disease↗

A prospective study of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Measures of emotional health and styles of responding to negative moods were obtained for 137 students 14 days before the Loma Prieta earthquake. A follow-up was done 10 days again 7 weeks after the earthquake to test predictions about which of the students would show the most enduring symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. Regression analysis showed that students who, before the earthquake, already had elevated levels of depression and stress symptoms and a ruminative style of responding to their symptoms had more depression and stress symptoms for both follow-ups. Students who were exposed to more dangerous or difficult circumstances because of the earthquake also had elevated symptom levels 10 days after the earthquake. Similarly, students who, during the 10 days after the earthquake, had more ruminations about the earthquake were still more likely to have high levels of depressive and stress symptoms 7 weeks after the earthquake.

Adaptation, Psychological↗