On September 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo became one of the worst natural disasters to strike the southeastern United States in this century. The proposed research would assess the mental health impact of this significant event. Focusing on the social context of natural disaster, the study would test three central hypotheses- (1) that disasters exert a direct, adverse, and long-term effect on mental health; (2) that these effects may be counteracted by support exchanges that protect self-esteem and perceived social support; and (3) that these effects may be exacerbated by the presence of concurrent crises and social/ecological stress.
More specific aims are to answer several questions that add detail to these broad central hypotheses. Additional analyses would assess the generalizability of the findings across subgroups defined by age and sex. To accomplish its aims, the study would take advantage of a naturally occurring """"""""experiment"""""""" Hugo left in its path. Savannah and Charleston (two historic, coastal cities 100 miles apart) were both seriously threatened by Hugo, but only Charleston was actually struck. Both Charleston and Charlotte were struck, but only Charleston had the """"""""advantage"""""""" of prior warning (threat) of the event. The addition of a fourth """"""""control"""""""" city that was neither threatened nor stricken by Hugo would yield a 2X2 """"""""threat by loss"""""""" design that would guide sample selection. In each city, a general population sample of 250 persons would be interviewed three times at points 12, 18, and 24 months postevent. By studying these different settings at different points in time, the research will increase our understanding of how various elements of a disastrous event combine to produce longterm psychological distress. The project's final task would be to use these findings to generate a model intervention for disaster stricken communities that would be shared with various disaster and emergency relief agencies.
