Social support and psychological symptomatology following a natural disaster

The effects of perceived availability of social support on psychological symptomatology following a natural disaster were studied in a sample of victims of a major flood in Roanoke, Virginia. Ninety‐six subjects were administered questionnaires that measured self‐reported levels of depression, anxie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of traumatic stress 1990-10, Vol.3 (4), p.541-556
Main Authors: Cook, Jerome D., Bickman, Leonard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
longitudinal studies
natural disasters
social support
statistical correlation
stress reactions
symptoms
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Summary:The effects of perceived availability of social support on psychological symptomatology following a natural disaster were studied in a sample of victims of a major flood in Roanoke, Virginia. Ninety‐six subjects were administered questionnaires that measured self‐reported levels of depression, anxiety, and somatization 1 week after the disaster and four additional times within 6 months after the disaster. A questionnaire mailed 3 months after the disaster assessed perceived availability of social support. Results indicated that subjects experienced severe distress immediately following the disaster, that this distress decreased sharply 6 weeks after the flood, and decreased more gradually in the following months. Perceived availability of social support was not related to distress immediately following the disaster nor 5 months afterwards. Social support and symptomatology were significantly correlated during the intermediate period.
ISSN:0894-9867
1573-6598
DOI:10.1002/jts.2490030406