Unique and Related Predictors of Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Their Comorbidity After Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

The current study examined demographic and psychosocial factors that predict major depressive disorder (MDD) and comorbid MDD/posttraumatic stress disorder (MDD/PTSD) diagnostic status after Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. This study expanded on the findings published in the article by Galea, Tracy, Norris, and Coffey (J Trauma Stress 21:357-368, 2008), which examined the same predictors for PTSD, to better understand related and unique predictors of MDD, PTSD, and MDD/PTSD comorbidity. A total of 810 individuals representative of adult residents living in the 23 southernmost counties of Mississippi before Hurricane Katrina were interviewed. Ongoing hurricane-related stressors, low social support, and hurricane-related financial loss were common predictors of MDD, PTSD, and MDD/PTSD, whereas educational and marital status emerged as unique predictors of MDD. Implications for postdisaster relief efforts that address the risk for both MDD and PTSD are discussed.

A person-centered analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms following a natural disaster: Predictors of latent class membership

“…This is generally consistent with prior natural disaster research that has found high rates of comorbidity between PTSD and depressive disorders (e.g., Foa, Stein, & McFarlane, 2006; Nillni et al, in press) and that PTSD predicts suicide risk (even when controlling depression; e.g., Tang et al, 2010). However, these findings also add to natural disaster literature focusing solely on a diagnosis of PTSD by showing that depression severity and suicidal ideation are able to differentiate persons who experience the more severe/pervasive PTSD symptoms (i.e., the Severe Class), from persons who have less severe/pervasive symptoms (i.e., the Moderate Class), as well as those who have negligible PTSD symptoms (i.e., the Mild and Negligible Classes).…”

Religious Coping and Psychological and Behavioral Adjustment After Hurricane Katrina

“…Approximately 15% of respondents met PTSD diagnostic criteria since Hurricane Katrina (Galea et al, 2008). Regarding depression, 11.7% of the sample met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder since Hurricane Katrina and 9.1% met criteria for major depressive disorder in the past month (Nillni, Nosen, Williams, Tracy, Coffey, & Galea, in press). Approximately 88% of respondents reported feeling satisfied or very satisfied with their quality of life ( M = 1.75, SD = 0.73).…”

Patterns of Comorbidity Among Bereaved Family Members 14 Years after the September 11th, 2001, Terrorist Attacks

“…Based on the synergistic and negative effects of CG and PTSD on clinical impairment (Neria & Litz, ), we hypothesized that one of these groups would have a higher probability for threshold CG and PTSD as well as for clinical impairment. In order to identify factors that predict group membership, we investigated proposed risk (preexisting mental health conditions, other non‐9/11‐related lifetime trauma exposure, and negative interim life events) and protective factors (grief support, social support, perception of income adequacy, and positive interim life events) known to affect grief and trauma‐related disorders, comorbidity, and impairment (Boelen et al., ; Djelantik, Smid, Kleber, & Boelen, ; Galea, Tracy, Norris, & Coffey, ; Heeke et al., ; Joseph, Matthews, & Myers, ; Nickerson et al., ; Nillni et al., ) while controlling for participant age, gender, relationship to the deceased, and education level. To validate the results of the LCA, class membership was examined in relation to distinct distal outcomes, including patterns of alcohol use, and measures of physical and mental health.…”