Article
El Salvador Earthquakes: Relationships among acute stress disorder symptoms, depression, traumatic event exposure, and resource loss
Journal of Traumatic Stress
(2006)
Abstract
Four and seven weeks after powerful earthquakes in El Salvador, the authors examined the relationships among demographics, traumatic event exposure, social support, resource loss, acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms, depression, and posttraumatic growth. Participants were 253 college students (Study 1) and 83 people in the community (Study 2). In Study 1, female gender, traumatic event exposure, low social support, and loss of personal characteristic, condition, and energy resources contributed to ASD symptoms and depression. In Study 2, damage to home and loss of personal characteristic and object resources contributed to ASD symptoms and depression. Posttraumatic growth was not associated with ASD symptoms or depression. Findings support the conservation of resources stress theory (Hobfoll, 1998). Resource loss spirals, excessive demands on coping, and exposure to multiple disasters are discussed.
Keywords
- El Salvador earthquakes,
- Acute stress disorder
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2006
DOI
10.1002/jts.20174
Publisher Statement
Published by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Citation Information
David N. Sattler, Ana Maria Glower de Alvarado, Norma Blandon de Castro, Robert Van Male, et al.. "El Salvador Earthquakes: Relationships among acute stress disorder symptoms, depression, traumatic event exposure, and resource loss" Journal of Traumatic Stress Vol. 19 Iss. 6 (2006) p. 879 - 893 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david-sattler/15/