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.
Najarian
L M
LM
Department of Psychiatry, North Shore University Hospital-NYU School of Medicine, Manhasset, New York, USA.
Goenjian
A K
AK
Pelcovitz
D
D
Mandel
F
F
Najarian
B
B
D000328:Adult; D001136:Armenia; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors