Understanding acute psychological distress following natural disaster

Abstract

A household probability sample of 229 adults was interviewed four to seven months afier the Sierra Madre earthquake (June 28, 1991; Los Angeles County). The study predicted psychological distress from these variables: demographics, traumatic event histoty, low magnitude event histoty, earthquake related threat perceptions, and earthquake related resource loss. Based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) stress model, it was predicted that resource loss would be central in predicting psychological distress. Three major hypotheses were supported: (1) resource loss was positively associated with psychological distress; (2) resource loss predicted psychological distress when other predictors were statistically controlled; and (3) resource loss was associated with mild to moderate elevations in of psychological distress. The findings support COR stress theory. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. KEY WORDS: disaster; psychological distress; theory. 257 0894-9867/94/D4~02S7so7.w/o 0 1994 Plenum Publishing Corporation

Coping with Drought: Towards a Multilevel Understanding Based on Conservation of Resources Theory

“…According to this principle it is the acute loss of resources, and not a stable, poor situation that would lead to all stress-outcomes. The primacy of resource loss principle has been proven among a variety of samples facing chronic stressors (e.g., Freedy et al, 1994;Holahan et al, 1999Holahan et al, , 2000Norris and Kaniasty, 1996). Recent evidence has, for instance, shown that the impact of chronic conditions of poverty on women's depression levels worked almost exclusively through secondary (material) loss (Ennis et al, 2000;Hobfoll et al, 2003).…”

“…Disaster studies, too, have shown that resource loss resulting from fast-onset disasters appears to account for a significant amount of variance in psychological stress outcomes (Salzer and Bickman, 1999). Moreover, several studies have shown that resource loss was the most important factor in predicting stress outcomes, including post traumatic stress disorder, among victims of two types of disasters, namely earthquakes and hurricanes (Freedy et al, 1992(Freedy et al, , 1994Ironson et al, 1997).…”

Climate change and mental health: a causal pathways framework

“…Consistent with pathways models of mental health, PTSD is sensitive to a range of exposure and predisposing social and emotional factors, with young people particularly vulnerable (Salcioglu et al 2007). In addition to the development of severe anxiety disorders, traumatic exposures can also cause reactions ranging from general somatic and mental health problems, followed by resilient recovery to several types of enduring, severe psychopathology (Norris et al 2002), as well as loss of resources (Freedy et al 1994) and substantial psychological distress (Beaudoin 2007;Wickrama and Wickrama 2008).…”

Clinically Informed Telemental Health in Post-Disaster Areas

“…reactions (Freedy, Saladin, Kilpatrick, Resnick, & Saunders, 1994), the psychological sequelae can persist for up to 3À5 years after a natural disaster (Lima et al, 1993). In the United States, over 8 million people suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (National Institute of Mental Health, 2012).…”