NATURAL DISASTERS AND POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER - SHORT-TERM VERSUS LONG-TERM RECOVERY IN 2 DISASTER-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults following disaster‐precipitated family relocation was investigated in a longitudinal study of family and individual response to natural disasters. Adult participants included 78 women and 77 men in two communities. Psychosocial adjustment was measured at two points in time: at 4 months and 16 months after the disaster. Instruments used for assessing stress‐related symptomatology included the Horowitz Impact of Event Scale (HIES) and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Major findings included: (a) levels of short‐term stress symptomatology and diagnosable PTSD were substantial in both communities; (b) significant decrements in these levels occurred by 16‐months postdisaster;(c) substantial gender differences (greater levels for women) were apparent in both short‐ and long‐term PTSD response rates; and (d) patterns and levels of PTSD symptoms were different in the two communities. Findings have implications for the interpretation of PTSD within the context of family‐ and community‐level variables. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved