Citation

Ben-Ezra M, Palgi Y, Aviel O, Dubiner Y, Evelyn Baruch, Soffer Y, Shrira A. Psychiatry Res. 2013; 208(1): 91-93.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, Ariel University Center of Samaria, Ariel, Israel. Electronic address: menbe@ariel.ac.il.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2012.11.006

PMID

23200780

Abstract

Collecting mental health data during disaster is a difficult task. The aim of this study was to compare reported sensitive information regarding the disaster and general questions on physical or psychological functioning between social network (Facebook) interview and face-to-face interview after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Data were collected from a battery of self-reported questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered to 133 face-to-face participants and to 40 Facebook interviewees, during March-April 2011. The face-to-face interview group showed a significantly higher level of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and elevated risk for clinical level of PTSD and reported more worries about another disaster, lower life satisfaction, less perceived social support and lower self-rated health then the Facebook group (all P values <0.05). Our data may suggest that the reliability of internet surveys is jeopardized during extreme conditions such as large-scale disasters as it tends to underestimate the reactions to such events. This indicates the discrepancy from data collected in situ to data collected using social networks. The implications of these results are discussed.

Language: en