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Disaster survivors in their third decade: Trajectories of initial stress responses and long‐term course of mental health
Author(s) -
Holgersen Katrine Høyer,
Klöckner Christian A.,
Jakob Boe Hans,
Weisæth Lars,
Holen Are
Publication year - 2011
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.20636
Subject(s) - general health questionnaire , mental health , psychiatry , posttraumatic stress , psychology , term (time) , stress (linguistics) , medicine , clinical psychology , linguistics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
This study analyzed trajectories of initial stress and long‐term mental health after the 1980 North Sea oil rig disaster. A growth‐mixture model of the survivors' stress manifestations in the first 8 weeks (Posttraumatic Stress Scale, [PTSS‐10]) and general mental health in 1980, 1981, 1985, and 2007 (General Health Questionnaire, [GHQ‐20]) was estimated. Survivors' GHQ‐scores in 1985 and 2007 were contrasted to those of a comparison group. Four trajectories were identified among survivors. The resilient (n = 43) displayed initially moderate stress that rapidly declined. The recovery (n = 10), chronic (n = 8), and relapse (n = 9) showed initially stable high stress scores, but the long‐term mental health differed. Early screening may identify those at long‐term risk.