One hundred six victims of a plane crash, mass murders, and a tornado who were previously interviewed in the acute phase [(Quick Response study)] will be followed up at [three] years. Two hundred additional subjects who are [direct] victims of selected future disasters and 200 [indirectly] exposed subjects from similar sites will also be interviewed at index (4-6 weeks after the event) and [at one and three] years [postdisaster]. This project will consist of a systematic longitudinal study examining the course of recovery and long-term psychiatric outcome following disasters. In addition, combined prospective acute and long-term postdisaster data from several different disaster settings (from previous and future Quick Response studies) will permit disentanglement of the myriad of variables within the models of disaster typology and human stress experience. These comparisons can be made because the same interview, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement (DIS/DS) has been used for all parts of the study, as well as for the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Study, which will provide a source of general population data. Better understanding of the needs of disaster victims and of disaster typology will provide the basis for future well-designed intervention programs specifically tailored to the population's needs.
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