Top

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Published in:

01-08-2007 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Psychological consequences of a firework factory disaster in a local community

Author: Dr. Ask Elklit

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 8/2007

Abstract

Objective

This study assessed the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological consequences of an explosion disaster in a residential area in Kolding, Denmark, in November 2004.

Method

A community sample of 516 evacuated adults and a control group of 119 residents situated near the disaster area, but not affected by the explosion were assessed 3 months after the disaster by standardized instruments.

Results

Of the evacuated sample, 13% met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD in contrast to 1% in the control group; 35% of the exposed sample and 7% of the control group were identified as ‘probable cases’ by the GHQ-30 (both p’s < 0.0005).

Conclusion

The study provides evidence of the negative impact of a technological disaster on mental health and the need of preventive interventions.

American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn. Author, Washington, DC

Arendt M, Elklit A (2001) Effectiveness of psychological debriefing. Acta Psychiatr Scand 104(6):423–437CrossRefPubMed

Armenian HK, Morikawa M, Melkonian AK, Hovanesian AP, Haroutunian N, Saigh PA, et al. (2000) Loss as a determinant of PTSD in a cohort of adult survivors of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia: implications for policy. Acta Psychiatr Scand 102(1):58–64CrossRefPubMed

Bach ME (2003) En empirisk belysning og analyse af “Emotional Numbing” som eventuel selvstændig faktor i PTSD. Psykologisk Studieskriftserie 6(1):1–199

Basoglu M, Kilic C, Salcioglu E, Livanou M (2004) Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbid depression in earthquake survivors in Turkey: an epidemiological study. J Trauma Stress 17(2):133–141CrossRefPubMed

Bödvarsdóttir I, Elklit A (2004) Psychological reactions in Icelandic earthquake survivors. Scand J Psychol 45(1):3–13CrossRefPubMed

Brewin CR, Andrews B, Valentine JD (2000) Meta-analysis of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed adults. J Consult Clin Psychol 68(5):748–766CrossRefPubMed

Cladera T, Palma L, Penayo U, Kullgren G (2001) Psychological impact of the hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua in a one-year perspective. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 36(3):108–114CrossRef

Den Ouden DJ, Dirkzwager AJ, Yzermans CJ (2005) Health problems presented in general practice by survivors before and after a fireworks disaster: associations with mental health care. Scand J Prim Health Care 23(3):137–141CrossRef

10.

D’Souza MJJ (1999) Socio-structural differentials in the mental health impact of the 1994 Northridge earthquake (California). Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences 60(4-A):1351

11.

Elklit A (1997) The aftermath of an industrial disaster. Acta Psychiatr Scand 96(392):1–25

12.

Elklit A (2000) Psykologisk traumebehandling—en effekt-undersøgelse. Dansk krise-og katastrofepsykologisk selskab, København

13.

Elklit A (2002) Victimization and PTSD in a Danish national youth probability sample. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 41:174–181CrossRefPubMed

14.

Finnsdottir T, Elklit A (2002) Posttraumatic sequelae in a community hit by an avalanche. J Trauma Stress 15(6):479–485CrossRefPubMed

15.

Foa EB, Riggs DS, Dancu CV, Rothbaum BO (1993) Reliability and validity of a brief instrument for assessing post-traumatic stress disorder. J Trauma Stress 6(4):459–473

16.

Freedy JR, Saladin ME, Kilpatrick DG, Resnick HS (1994) Understanding acute psychological distress following natural disaster. J Trauma Stress 7(2):257–273CrossRefPubMed

17.

Green BL (1982) Assessing levels of psychological impairment following disaster: consideration of actual and methodological dimensions. J Nerv Ment Dis 170(9):544–552PubMedCrossRef

18.

Hobfoll SE (1989) Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. Am Psychol 44(3):513–524CrossRefPubMed

19.

Holen A (1990) A long-term outcome study of survivors from a disaster. University of Oslo, Oslo

20.

Kato H, Asukai N, Miyake Y, Minakawa K, Nishiyama A (1996) Post-traumatic symptoms among younger and elderly evacuees in the early stages following the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Japan. Acta Psychiatr Scand 93(6):477–481PubMed

21.

Kessler RC, Sonnega A, Bromet E, Hughes M (1995) Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 52:1048–1060PubMed

22.

Kilic C, Ulusoy M (2003) Psychological effects of the November 1999 earthquake in Turkey: an epidemiological study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 108(3):232–238CrossRefPubMed

23.

Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984) Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer, New York

24.

Livanou M, basoglu M, salcioglu E, kalender D (2002) Traumatic stress responses in treatment-seeking earthquake survivors in Turkey. J Nerv Ment Dis 190(12):816–823CrossRefPubMed

25.

Mollica RF, Caspiyavin Y, Bollini P, Truong T, Tor S, Lavelle J (1992) The harvard trauma questionnaire—validating a cross-cultural instrument for measuring torture, trauma, and posttraumatic-stress-disorder in Indo-Chinese refugees. J Nerv Ment Dis 180(2):111–116PubMedCrossRef

26.

Nolen-Hoeksema S, Morrow J (1991) A prospective study of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. J Pers Soc Psychol 61:115–121CrossRefPubMed

27.

Norris FH, Perilla JL, Murphy AD (2001) Postdisaster stress in the United States and Mexico: a cross-cultural test of the multicriterion conceptual model of posttraumatic stress disorder. J Abnorm Psychol 110(4):553–563CrossRefPubMed

28.

Norris FH, Kaniasty K, Conrad ML, Inman GL, Murphy AD (2002) Placing age differences in cultural context: a comparison of the effects of age on PTSD after disasters in the United States, Mexico, Poland. J Clin Geropsychol 8(3):153–173 Special Issue: Traumatic exposure and PTSD in older adultsCrossRef

29.

Norris FH, Murphy AD, Baker CK, Perilla JL (2004) Postdisaster PTSD over four waves of a panel study of Mexico’s 1999 flood. J Trauma Stress 17(4):283–292CrossRefPubMed

30.

Ohta Y, Araki K, Kawasaki N, Nakane Y, Honda S, Mine M (2003) Psychological distress among evacuees of a volcanic eruption in Japan: a follow-up study. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 57(1):105–111CrossRefPubMed

31.

Solomon Z (1993) Assessment of PTSD: validation of the revised PTSD inventory. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 30:110–115PubMed

32.

Ursano RJ, Fullerton CS, Mccaughey BG (1994) Trauma and disaster. In: Ursano RJ, Mccaughey BG, Fullerton CS (eds) Individual and community responses to trauma and disaster: the structure of human chaos. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 3–30

33.

Van Kamp I, Van Der Velden PG, Stellato RK, Roorda J, Van Loon J, Kleber RJ, et al. (2006) Physical and mental health shortly after a disaster: first results from the Enschede firework disaster study. Eur J Public Health 16(3):253–259CrossRefPubMed

34.

Weisaeth L (1989) A study of behavioural responses to an industrial disaster. Acta Psychiatr Scand 80(355):13–24

35.

Yzermans CJ, Donker GA, Kerssens JJ, Dirkzwager AJ, Soeteman RJH, Ten veen PM (2005) Health problems of victims before and after disaster: a longitudinal study in general practice. Int J Epidemiol 34(4):820–826CrossRefPubMed

Title: Psychological consequences of a firework factory disaster in a local community
Author: Dr. Ask Elklit
Publication date: 01-08-2007
Publisher: D. Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 8/2007
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-007-0206-z

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Psychological consequences of a firework factory disaster in a local community

Abstract

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 8/2007

Assessing the content of mental health services: a review of measures

Is the volume-outcome relationship sustained in psychiatric care?

Is violence at presentation by patients with first-episode psychosis associated with duration of untreated psychosis?

Risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures

Predictors of mental disorders and their outcome in a community based cohort

Residential area and social contacts in schizophrenia