Differences in changes in health-related anxiety between Western and non-Western participants in a trauma-focused study.
Disaster victims from ethnic minorities manifest more health complaints and concerns than others following a medical investigation. The authors aimed at analyzing ethnicity as a proxy for risk factors predictive of changes in health-related anxiety, and mediators that explain ethnic group differences after participating in a medical investigation. Western (n = 406) and non-Western participants (n = 379) were assessed at baseline and 12-week follow-up. Education, unemployment, years of residence, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were independent predictors of changes in health-related anxiety, excluding ethnicity. The predictive value of ethnicity was mediated mainly by changes in psychopathology, fatigue, and quality of life. Stronger responses to a trauma-related investigation by more vulnerable ethnic minority groups may explain their enhanced health-related anxiety.
Verschuur
Margot J
MJ
Leiden University, Department of Psychology, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Clinical Psychology Unit, PO Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands. verschuu@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Maric
Marija
M
Spinhoven
Philip
P
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000208:ethnology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology*