Mental Health in Sumatra After the Tsunami
- 1 September 2008
- journal article
- Published by American Public Health Association in American Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 98 (9), 1671-1677
- https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2007.120915
Abstract
Objectives. We assessed the levels and correlates of posttraumatic stress reactivity (PTSR) of more than 20000 adult tsunami survivors by analyzing survey data from coastal Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia. Methods. A population-representative sample of individuals interviewed before the tsunami was traced in 2005 to 2006. We constructed 2 scales measuring PTSR by using 7 symptom items from the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist–Civilian Version. One scale measured PTSR at the time of interview, and the other measured PTSR at the point of maximum intensity since the disaster. Results. PTSR scores were highest for respondents from heavily damaged areas. In all areas, scores declined over time. Gender and age were significant predictors of PTSR; markers of socioeconomic status before the tsunami were not. Exposure to traumatic events, loss of kin, and property damage were significantly associated with higher PTSR scores. Conclusions. The tsunami produced posttraumatic stress reactions across a wide region of Aceh and North Sumatra. Public health will be enhanced by the provision of counseling services that reach not only people directly affected by the tsunami but also those living beyond the area of immediate impact.Keywords
This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- Tsunami Mortality Estimates and Vulnerability Mapping in Aceh, IndonesiaAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2007
- Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Coastal Fishing Village in Tamil Nadu, India, After the December 2004 TsunamiAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2007
- High-Dose Sertraline Strategy for Nonresponders to Acute Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderBritish Journal of Psychology, 2006
- Mental health, psychosocial support and the tsunamiInternational Review of Psychiatry, 2006
- Testing the latent structure of posttraumatic stress disorder: A taxometric study of combat veteransJournal of Traumatic Stress, 2005
- The latent structure of posttraumatic stress disorder: A taxometric investigation of reactions to extreme stress.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2002
- The latent structure of posttraumatic stress disorder: A taxometric investigation of reactions to extreme stress.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2002
- Prevalence, characteristics, and long‐term sequelae of natural disaster exposure in the general populationJournal of Traumatic Stress, 2000
- Validation of the PTSD checklist–civilian version in survivors of bone marrow transplantationJournal of Traumatic Stress, 1999
- Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist (PCL)Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1996