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Psychological consequences among adults following the 1999 earthquake in Athens, Greece
Author(s) -
Varela Emily,
Koustouki Vasiliki,
Davos Constantinos H.,
Eleni Kiriakidou
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01039.x
Subject(s) - insomnia , feeling , medicine , odds ratio , confidence interval , demography , adaptability , injury prevention , poison control , psychiatry , psychology , environmental health , social psychology , ecology , sociology , biology
One year after the 7 September 1999 earthquake in Athens, Greece, we investigated the psychological consequences among 305 individuals (71 per cent female) residing in the settlements of Ano Liosia Municipality. Adaptability was difficult (63 per cent) due to limited space (50 per cent). Insecurity feelings were predictive of difficult adaptability (χ 2 = 29.8, p<0.0001) and were common (63 per cent) among married subjects, independent of age (χ 2 = 5.0, odds ratio (OR): 0.49, 95 per cent confidence interval (CI): 0.26–0.90). Eighty per cent expressed stress feelings, mainly nervousness/tension (60 per cent). Adaptability (χ 2 = 5.3, OR: 0.5, 95 per cent CI: 0.27–0.9), age (χ 2 = 6.5, OR: 1.03, 95 per cent CI: 1.01–1.06), and female gender (χ 2 = 4.7, OR: 0.48, 95 per cent CI: 0.25–0.90) were independent predictors of stress feelings. The majority (55 percent) developed sleep disorders, chiefly insomnia (60 percent). Adaptability problems were the only predictor of sleep disorders (χ 2 = 6.4, OR: 0.5, 95 per cent CI: 0.33–0.87). Psychiatric medication use increased after the earthquake.