MENTAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLENT VICTIMIZATION

Rand Corporation, Santa Monica CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed competitive supplement application requests funding to investigate key research issues related to the early course of posttraumatic distress, posttraumatic distress disorder (PTSD), and symptoms of major depression following mass exposure to the recent Southern California wildfires. In late October and early November of 2003, California firestorms burned an area roughly the size of Rhode Island and destroyed more than 3,700 homes. Using funds authorized for diversion from the core grant for data collection only, two-waves of data were obtained on a sample persons affected by the fires (N = 357). Data were collected within days of trauma exposure and at 3-month follow-up (N = 250). All participants were initially assessed while they were either residing in a temporary evacuation shelter or seeking various types of assistance at a government funded Disaster Service Center. A 15-month follow-up is currently underway. The specific goals of the proposed competitive supplement application are: (1) To describe how characteristics of the trauma (e.g., degree of fire exposure and loss) and pre- trauma characteristics of the survivors (e.g., age, gender, and ethnicity) relate to subsequent psychological maladjustment. (2) To examine the relationship between peritraumatic reactions (i.e., dissociation, arousal, fear, guilt, etc.) and subsequent PTSD symptom severity. (3) To identify whether symptoms of PTSD and major depression at follow-up have different patterns of pre-trauma, peri-trauma, trauma, and post-trauma predictors. (4) To assess the temporal relationship between symptoms of PTSD and depression following exposure to mass fire trauma. This analysis would model the dynamic interplay of depression and PTSD symptoms overtime. [unreadable] [unreadable]