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Stress Levels and Health Status of Victims of a Natural Disaster
Author(s) -
Murphy Shirley A.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770070309
Subject(s) - somatization , mental health , depression (economics) , physical health , medicine , occupational safety and health , natural disaster , psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , gerontology , geography , pathology , economics , macroeconomics , meteorology
Bereaved, property loss, and control groups ( N = 155) were compared 11 months after the volcanic eruption of Mt. St. Helens using standardized instruments and structured interviews. It was hypothesized that the greater the loss the greater the stress and the poorer the health. Bereaved subjects reported significantly higher levels of stress and lower levels of mental health, but not physical health. Persons who lost their permanent homes reported high rates of stress, but did not report significantly higher levels of depression, somatization, or poorer physical health. Conceptual and methodological implications are discussed.