- Title
- Does a disaster worsen anxiety when you are already anxious? Psychological consequences following exposure to a M7.1 earthquake in an outpatient anxiety disorder population
- Creator
- Kannis-Dymand, Lee; Colhoun, Helen; Huntley, Monique; Woolcock, Colette; Chambers, Ron; Compte, Dianne Le; Macleod, Juliet; Gilbert, Claire; Statham, Dixie; Jones, Monique; Sullivan, Clare; Alexander, Jane; Love, Steven; Bell, Caroline
- Date
- 2022
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/188848
- Identifier
- vital:17342
- Identifier
- https://trauma.massey.ac.nz/issues/2022-1/AJDTS_26_1_Kannis-Dymand.pdf
- Identifier
- ISSN:1174-4707
- Abstract
- Research of clinical patients with a pre-existing psychological disorder involved in a disaster is limited. This study investigated relationships between pre-and post-earthquake psychopathology (i.e., anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress), peritraumatic distress, work and social impairment, perceived support post-earthquake, and personality dimensions in an outpatient, anxiety disorder population. Thirty-seven patients with pre-existing anxiety disorders completed standard clinical assessments pre-earthquake. They then completed a second set of questionnaires 3 months after exposure to the 2010 Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, earthquake. Bivariate correlations on the variables determined what relationships were present, and paired samples t-tests assessed differences in pre- and post-earthquake anxiety, depression, and alcohol and drug consumption as well as relationships with peritraumatic distress, posttraumatic stress, and personality variables. Significant relationships were found between pre-earthquake psychopathology, peritraumatic distress, post-earthquake psychopathology, and impairment. Paired samples t-tests demonstrated anxiety and depression scores were significantly lower post-earthquake. However, prior anxiety and depression, as well as peritraumatic distress, were significantly associated with post-earthquake psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress and impaired work and social functioning. There were no differences between pre- and post-event alcohol and drug consumption. The personality dimensions of harm avoidance, self-directedness, and persistence significantly associated with post-disaster anxiety and depression. Promisingly, post-earthquake perceived support was significantly negatively correlated with depression and posttraumatic stress. Keywords: Anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, peritraumatic distress, personality temperament, earthquake
- Publisher
- Massey University, School of Psychology
- Relation
- Australasian journal of disaster and trauma studies Vol. 26, no. 1 (2022), p. 3
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- Copyright the Author(s)
- Rights
- Open Access
- Subject
- Analysis; Anxiety; Care and treatment; Diagnosis; Disaster victims; Earthquakes; Health aspects; Psychological aspects; Psychology, Pathological; 3202 Clinical sciences; 5203 Clinical and health psychology; 4404 Development studies
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