
@article{ref1,
title="Hurricane Sandy exposure and the mental health of World Trade Center responders",
journal="Journal of Traumatic Stress",
year="2017",
author="Bromet, Evelyn J. and Clouston, Sean and Gonzalez, Adam and Kotov, Roman and Guerrera, Kathryn M. and Luft, Benjamin J.",
volume="30",
number="2",
pages="107-114",
abstract="The psychological consequences of a second disaster on populations exposed to an earlier disaster have rarely been studied prospectively. Using a pre- and postdesign, we examined the effects of Hurricane Sandy on possible World Trade Center (WTC) related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Checklist score of ≥ 50) and overall depression (major depressive disorder [MDD]; Patient Health Questionnaire depression score of ≥ 10) among 870 WTC responders with a follow-up monitoring visit at the Long Island WTC Health Program during the 6 months post-Hurricane Sandy. The Hurricane Sandy exposures evaluated were damage to home (8.3%) and to possessions (7.8%), gasoline shortage (24.1%), prolonged power outage (42.7%), and filing a Federal Emergency Management Agency claim (11.3%). A composite exposure score also was constructed. In unadjusted analyses, Hurricane Sandy exposures were associated with 1.77 to 5.38 increased likelihood of PTSD and 1.58 to 4.13 likelihood of MDD; odds ratios for ≥ 3 exposures were 6.47 for PTSD and 6.45 for MDD. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, WTC exposure, pre-Hurricane Sandy mental health status, and time between assessments, reporting ≥ 3 Hurricane Sandy exposures was associated with a 3.29 and 3.71 increased likelihood of PTSD and MDD, respectively. These findings underscore the importance of assessing the impact of a subsequent disaster in ongoing responder health surveillance programs.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0894-9867",
doi="10.1002/jts.22178",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.22178"
}