Resource loss and relocation: A follow-up study of adolescents two years after Hurricane Katrina.

The long-term psychological impact of Hurricane Katrina was assessed among students (N = 636) at two high schools in southeastern Louisiana. Displaced students from the greater New Orleans area were compared with nondisplaced students on several factors. Displaced students reported higher levels of general psychological distress (GPD) and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Age, resource loss, relocation time, relocation distance, self-esteem, optimism, storm exposure, and gender were then assessed in separate regression models predicting GPD and PTS. Both hierarchical regression models were significantly predictive. Self-esteem, relocation distance, optimism, resource loss, and storm exposure were significant predictors of GPD. Resource loss, relocation time, storm exposure, and self-esteem were significant predictors of PTS. As expected, gender did not make significant contributions to either model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hurricane Katrina: Experiences of psychologists and implications for future disaster response.

The landfall of Hurricane Katrina marked not only one of the most significant and destructive natural disasters for the United States in recent history, but also a new benchmark in challenges faced by psychologists providing services. The authors explain their roles following the hurricane, describing not only local activities for recovery but efforts conducted in the Gulf Coast as well. Experiences and perceptions of the first author, who was deployed to the Gulf Coast on numerous occasions, are highlighted. In addition, psychological assessments were carried out with a small number of displaced Katrina survivors who were relocated to the authors' local community. The authors document many of the challenges faced by psychologists and other mental health workers during relief efforts in the Gulf Coast, concluding with a set of recommendations for future disaster-relief initiatives regarding such issues as ways in which psychologists can participate in disaster-relief efforts, challenges faced when implementing interventions, cultural competency, community preparedness, and scientific research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making sense of posttraumatic stress disorder: Illness perceptions among traumatic injury survivors.

More than 1.5 million persons in the United States sustain traumatic physical injuries each year. A significant proportion of traumatic injury survivors develop serious mental health problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet few obtain professional mental health care. According to the commonsense model of self-regulation (Leventhal, Diefenbach, & Leventhal, 1992), illness-related perceptions can influence coping responses, including the use of professional treatment. Using the commonsense model as a guiding framework, we conducted semistructured interviews with nontreatment-seeking trauma injury survivors with PTSD (N = 23). Illness perceptions regarding the following key conceptual dimensions were examined: PTSD symptoms (identity), experienced or perceived consequences of PTSD symptoms, and beliefs about the causes, controllability, and course of PTSD symptoms. Results revealed that no respondents identified their symptoms as indicative of PTSD. Common illness perceptions included believing that symptoms would be short-lived, that symptoms were reflective of poor physical health or were a natural reaction to life in a violent community, and that symptoms were functionally adaptive. Respondents also reported exerting some limited control over symptoms by relying on religious forms of coping. None of the respondents perceived professional treatment as being able to completely control symptoms. Findings indicated that respondents' conceptualizations of PTSD symptoms might have inhibited the recognition of symptoms as a serious mental health condition that warrants professional treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: General self-efficacy’s relationship to PTSD prevalence and severity.

Hurricane Katrina survivors (N = 399) on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were surveyed to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general self-efficacy. As hypothesized, general self-efficacy was found to be inversely correlated with PTSD severity and prevalence, women reported greater PTSD severity and lower general self-efficacy, as compared with men, and hurricane impact was found to be positively correlated with PTSD severity and prevalence. Age was not significantly associated with general self-efficacy, PTSD severity, or PTSD prevalence, and sex was not found to be significantly related to PTSD prevalence. Hierarchical multiple regression and hierarchical logistic regression analyses further demonstrated the strong association between PTSD and general self-efficacy. Study limitations, research directions, and practical implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Underdiagnosing and nontreatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in community mental health: A case study.

Research indicates that trauma is extremely prevalent among populations seeking community-based services. However, underdiagnosis and nontreatment of trauma-related disorders is widespread. This study explored how one urban community mental health center (CMHC), serving a severely mentally ill (SMI) population, assessed, diagnosed, and treated reported trauma histories. Results indicate that of the 72 consumers in this sample who reported trauma histories (51%), only 2 were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Instead, those with a reported trauma history were likely to be diagnosed with affective disorders and were almost seven times as likely to be recommended therapy as were those without a trauma history. However, even those recommended therapy were not likely to receive it. Findings indicate significant barriers to PTSD diagnoses and the receipt of therapy services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)