title: Psychological consequences of the 1998 landslide in Sarno, Italy: a community study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This community study assessed the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the psychosocial consequences of the landslide which occurred in Sarno, Southern Italy, in May 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random sample (n=272) of the population living in the highest risk area of Sarno, and a control group recruited in a small town situated near the disaster area, but not affected by the event, were assessed 1 year after the disaster by standardized instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the subjects recruited in Sarno, 27.6% met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD; 59% subjects recruited in Sarno and 35% of the control group were identified as "probable cases" by the GHQ-30 (P<0.0001). Subjects recruited in Sarno had significantly higher scores on the four GHQ-30 subscales identified by factor analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study emphasizes the negative impact of a natural catastrophic event on mental health, and the need for preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Largo Madonna della Grazie, 80138 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catapano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malafronte
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lepre
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cozzolino
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arnone
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tartaglia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Starace
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Magliano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maj
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003710:Demography; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires