title: Hurricane Katrina experience and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among pregnant women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the effects of disaster exposure and intensity on the development of mental disorders among pregnant women. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of exposure to Hurricane Katrina on mental health in pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort epidemiological study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary hospitals in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, U.S.A.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women who were pregnant during Hurricane Katrina or became pregnant immediately after the hurricane.
  
  
  METHODS
  Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of PTSD was higher in women with high hurricane exposure (13.8 percent) than women without high hurricane exposure (1.3 percent), with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 16.8 (95% confidence interval: 2.6-106.6) after adjustment for maternal race, age, education, smoking and alcohol use, family income, parity, and other confounders. The frequency of depression was higher in women with high hurricane exposure (32.3 percent) than women without high hurricane exposure (12.3 percent), with an aOR of 3.3 (1.6-7.1). Moreover, the risk of PTSD and depression increased with an increasing number of severe experiences of the hurricane.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnant women who had severe hurricane experiences were at a significantly increased risk for PTSD and depression. This information should be useful for screening pregnant women who are at higher risk of developing mental disorders after a disaster.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Emily W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Harville
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Mattison
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elkind-Hirsch
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pridjian
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buekens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008145:Louisiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*