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Different types of exposure to the 2004 tsunami are associated with different levels of psychological distress and posttraumatic stress
Author(s) -
Wahlström Lars,
Michélsen Hans,
Schulman Abbe,
Backheden Magnus
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20360
Subject(s) - general health questionnaire , psychological distress , distress , mental health , posttraumatic stress , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , psychological stress , medicine
The impact of traumatic exposure on psychological distress and posttraumatic stress was investigated at 14 months through self‐report in 1,505 Swedish tourists who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Exposure, differentiated in single and multiple types, was associated with different levels of impaired mental health measured by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Impact of Event Scale‐Revised (IES‐R). Additionally, having sole exposure to subjective life threat brought about specific psychological effects. Some demographic factors are associated with outcome on either the GHQ or the IES‐R. Identifying specific types of exposure of disaster survivors may be a way to identify individuals who could be screened for psychological ill health at a later point in time.