Exposure to the tsunami disaster, PTSD symptoms and increased substance use – an Internet based survey of male and female residents of Switzerland

Vetter, Stefan; Rossegger, Astrid; Rössler, Wulf; Bisson, Jonathan I.; Endrass, Jérôme

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-92

Cited by 85 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Further, the higher PTSD prevalence could have been caused by the use of a self-rating instrument to assess PTSD symptoms. In a Swiss internet-based study on tsunami victims [26] , the mean age of participants was most probably lower due to the digital divide in the use of internet technology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the Stressor Criterion Dispensable?

Kraemer¹,

Wittmann²,

Jenewein³

et al. 2009

Psychopathology

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Background: The stressor criterion (criterion A) in the DSM-IV diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is frequently questioned. To explore the clinical and diagnostic usefulness of criterion A, we examined its value in predicting and capturing PTSD symptom clusters (criteria B–D) in a sample of trauma survivors. Method: We studied 342 adult German-speaking Swiss tourists affected by the 2004 tsunami. We analyzed sensitivity and specificity, predictive value and variance explanation of criterion A for evoking PTSD criteria B–D. Results: Sensitivity of criterion A for PTSD criteria B–D was 93.2%, while positive predictive value was 23.1%. Criterion A made a small, yet statistically significant contribution of 7.5% for PTSD symptom clusters B–D. Conclusion: The assessment of criterion A (A1 and A2) is not necessary for the identification of individuals suffering from PTSD symptoms according to DSM-IV. We suggest therefore that criterion A is a dispensable part of the diagnosis of PTSD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the Stressor Criterion Dispensable?

Kraemer¹,

Wittmann²,

Jenewein³

et al. 2009

Psychopathology

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“…These characteristics parallel the core clinical features of individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), i.e. reduced threshold of fear, impaired extinction of fear memory, vivid recall or flashbacks of traumatic memories and a high prevalence of cannabis abuse [23,36,49]. Despite the highest expression of cannabinoid receptors (CB 1 and CB 2 ) found in the cerebellum [20,25,48], its functional role remains to be established.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Cannabinoid receptor expression and phosphorylation are differentially regulated between male and female cerebellum and brain stem after repeated stress: Implication for PTSD and drug abuse

Xing

Carlton

Zhang

et al. 2011

Neuroscience Letters

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“…There have been conflicting findings regarding post-event outcomes (on the individual and community level) and antecedent risk factors. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The disaster literature has been growing quickly in the past decade, spanning studies evaluating physical as well as psychiatric/psychological outcomes following natural disasters and manmade disasters (e.g., terrorist activity) alike. For instance, in reviewing dozens of studies, Rodriguez et al found that although many persons are resilient in the face of exposure to disasters (with up to half of persons never developing symptoms), there is a vulnerable minority that may develop mood, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that persist for 18 months or more 13 depending on level of exposure and antecedent risk factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatric Comorbidity, Red Flag Behaviors, and Associated Outcomes among Office-Based Buprenorphine Patients Following Hurricane Sandy

et al. 2014

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In October 2012, Bellevue Hospital Center (Bellevue) in New York City was temporarily closed as a result of Hurricane Sandy, the largest hurricane in US history. Bellevue's primary care office-based buprenorphine program was temporarily closed and later relocated to an affiliate public hospital. Previous research indicates that the relationships between disaster exposure, substance use patterns, psychiatric symptoms, and mental health services utilization is complex, with often conflicting findings regarding post-event outcomes (on the individual and community level) and antecedent risk factors. In general, increased use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is associated with both greater disaster exposure and the development or exacerbation of other psychiatric symptoms and need for treatment. To date, there is limited published information regarding post-disaster outcomes among patients enrolled in office-based buprenorphine treatment, as the treatment modality has only been relatively approved recently. Patients enrolled in the buprenorphine program at the time of the storm were surveyed for self-reported buprenorphine adherence and illicit substance and alcohol use, as well as disaster-related personal consequences and psychiatric sequelae poststorm. Baseline demographic characteristics and insurance status were available from the medical record. Analysis was descriptive (counts and proportions) and qualitative, coding open-ended responses for emergent themes. There were 132 patients enrolled in the program at the time of the storm; of those, 91 were contacted and 89 completed the survey. Almost half of respondents reported disruption of their buprenorphine supply. Unexpectedly, patients with psychiatric comorbidity were no more likely to report increased use/relapse as a result. Rather, major risk factors associated with increased use or relapse post-storm were: (1) shorter length of time in treatment, (2) exposure to storm losses such as buprenorphine supply disruption, (3) a pre-storm history of red flag behaviors (in particular, repeat opioid-positive urines), and (4) new-onset poststorm psychiatric symptoms. Our findings highlight the relative resilience of buprenorphine as an office-based treatment modality for patients encountering a disaster with associated unanticipated service disruption. In responding to future disasters, triaging patient contact and priority based on a history of red-flag behaviors, rather than a history of psychiatric comorbidity, will likely optimize resource allocation, especially among recently enrolled patients. Additionally, patients endorsing new-onset psychiatric manifestations following disasters may be an especially high-risk group for poor outcomes, warranting further study.

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Exposure to the tsunami disaster, PTSD symptoms and increased substance use – an Internet based survey of male and female residents of Switzerland

Cited by 85 publications

References 26 publications

Is the Stressor Criterion Dispensable?

Is the Stressor Criterion Dispensable?

Cannabinoid receptor expression and phosphorylation are differentially regulated between male and female cerebellum and brain stem after repeated stress: Implication for PTSD and drug abuse

Psychiatric Comorbidity, Red Flag Behaviors, and Associated Outcomes among Office-Based Buprenorphine Patients Following Hurricane Sandy

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