Lack of access to medical care during Hurricane Sandy and mental health symptoms
| Autor: | Emanuela Taioli, Julia Ruskin, Samantha Schneider, Rebecca M. Schwartz, Kristin Bevilacqua, Rehana Rasul |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry lcsh:R Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health MEDLINE lcsh:Medicine Regular Article Health Informatics medicine.disease Logistic regression Mental health 3. Good health 030227 psychiatry Odds Substance abuse 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine medicine Anxiety 030212 general & internal medicine medicine.symptom Psychiatry Natural disaster business Depression (differential diagnoses) |
| Zdroj: | Preventive Medicine Reports Preventive Medicine Reports, Vol 10, Iss, Pp 363-369 (2018) |
| ISSN: | 2211-3355 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.04.014 |
| Popis: | Destruction caused by natural disasters compromises medical providers' and hospitals' abilities to administer care. Hurricane Sandy was particularly devastating, resulting in massive disruptions of medical care in the region. This study aimed to determine whether a lack of access to medical care during Hurricane Sandy was associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and other mental health/substance abuse outcomes. A secondary aim was to examine whether having a chronic illness moderates those associations. Self-reported medical access and mental health symptomatology were obtained from New York City and Long Island residents (n = 1669) following Hurricane Sandy under the Leaders in Gathering Hope Together project (10/23/2013–2/25/2015) and Project Restoration (6/5/2014–8/9/2016). Multivariable logistic regressions were utilized to determine the relationship between lack of access to medical care and mental health outcomes. Of the 1669 participants, 994 (59.57%) were female, 866 (51.89%) were white, and the mean age was 46.22 (SD = 19.2) years old. Those without access to medical care had significantly higher odds of showing symptoms of PTSD (AOR = 2.71, CI = [1.77–4.16]), as well as depression (AOR = 1.94, CI = [1.29–2.92]) and anxiety (AOR = 1.61, CI = [1.08–2.39]) compared to those with access. Lack of access to care was associated with a 2.12 point increase in perceived stress scale score (SE = 0.63). The interaction between having a chronic illness and lack of access to medical care was not significantly associated with any outcomes. The findings emphasize the importance of making medical care more accessible to patients, both chronically and acutely ill, during natural disasters to benefit their physical as well as their mental health. Highlights • Individuals without access to medical care had asignificantly higher odds of showing symptoms of mental health difficulties. • Chronic illness did not moderate the relationship between a lack of access to care and mental health outcomes. • Access to medical care during natural disasters may benefit the mental health of survivors with and without chronic illness. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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