The relationship of the degree of exposure to a technological disaster and emotional response: A structural model approach

The aim of this study was to analyze type and intensity of psychopathological response (depression and post-traumatic stress disorder) in a population sample from Guadalajara, Mexico, in an area affected by a series of gas explosions in 1992. The study comprised a series of interviews conducted three months after the event. Three groups were formed: subjects directly exposed to the explosions; those affected by the explosions but not directly exposed to them; and a control group. We devised a model, defining that the depressive level is affected by the socioeconomic level and the attributional style; being affected by the exposition degree to the disaster. This question was evaluated as using the structural models technique. The results indicate a close relationship between the variables defined and confirm the action of degree of exposure to the disaster. In fact, a reasonable fit for the model was only obtained in the direct exposure group; the fit was poor in the other two groups, in which results were largely similar. We conclude that the intensity of exposure to the event has a fundamental bearing on victims' psychopathological response, and on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder.