Open AccessTrajectories of Psychological Distress Among Low‐Income, Female Survivors of Hurricane Katrina
Author(s) -
Lowe Sarah R.,
Rhodes Jean E.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american journal of orthopsychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.959
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1939-0025
pISSN - 0002-9432
DOI - 10.1111/ajop.12019
Subject(s) - hurricane katrina , low income , psychological distress , distress , psychology , suicide prevention , poison control , clinical psychology , psychiatry , demography , medicine , mental health , medical emergency , natural disaster , geography , sociology , socioeconomics , meteorology
The purpose of this study was to investigate trajectories of psychological distress among low‐income, primarily unmarried and A frican A merican women who survived H urricane K atrina ( N = 386). Data were collected in the year prior to the hurricane as well as approximately 1 and 3 years thereafter. Using L atent C lass G rowth A nalysis ( LCGA ), we detected 6 distinct trajectory groups. Over half of the participants fit into a trajectory consistent with resilience; that is, they maintained low levels of psychological distress over the course of the study, but experienced an elevation in symptoms at the first predisaster time point followed by a return to predisaster levels. The other trajectories reflected a range of psychological responses to disasters and indicated that predisaster functioning had a major influence on postdisaster psychological outcomes. Degree of exposure to hurricane‐related stressors, experiences of human and pet bereavement, perceived social support, and socioeconomic status were significant predictors of trajectory group membership. Implications for research and policy are discussed.