title: Mental Health Service Need and Use in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: Findings in a Population-Based Sample of New York City Residents.
abstract: The majority of disaster survivors suffering from psychiatric disorders do not utilize mental health services. Only one study to date has explored postdisaster service use after Hurricane Sandy, and the disaster literature is further limited by a lack of attention to survivors' perceived need for services. We drew on data from a population-based sample of adults living in New York City neighborhoods that were most severely affected by Hurricane Sandy (N = 454). Less than 10 % of participants reported service needs (7.8 %) and service use (4.4 %) since the hurricane, 5.9 % were classified as having unmet needs (i.e., needs without use), and 2.5 % as using services without needs. Predictors of unmet mental health service needs included younger age, male gender, higher education, and exposure to more disaster-related stressors. The results suggest that efforts to reduce unmet postdisaster service needs could focus on reaching survivors with these characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA. lowes@mail.montclair.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gruebner
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galea
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Hurricane Sandy; Mental health needs; Mental health service utilization; Natural disasters; Posttraumatic stress