Citation

Kumar MS, Murhekar MV, Hutin Y, Subramanian T, Ramachandran V, Gupte MD. Am. J. Public Health 2007; 97(1): 99-101.

Affiliation

National Institute of Epidemiology, Indian Council of Medical Research.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2005.071167

PMID

17138927

PMCID

PMC1716229

Abstract

Two months after the December 2004 tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India, we surveyed adults aged 18 years or older in a severely affected coastal village using structured interviews and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder was 12.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]=9.4%, 17.1%), and odds of posttraumatic stress disorder were higher among individuals with no household incomes, women, and those injured during the tsunami. In addition to promoting feelings of safety, interventions aimed toward populations affected by the December 2004 tsunami need to focus on income-generating activities. Also, there is a need to target initiatives toward women and those injured during the tsunami, given that these groups are more likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder.

Language: en