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Posttraumatic sequelae in a community hit by an avalanche.

Thorunn Finnsdottir1, Ask Elklit

  • 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Landspítali, Iceland.

Journal of Traumatic Stress
|December 17, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Avalanche survivors in Flateyri, Iceland, experienced significant psychological distress, with 25% showing psychiatric symptoms like anxiety and intrusive thoughts. These posttraumatic sequelae were linked to factors including loss and prior life events.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Trauma Studies
  • Disaster Mental Health

Background:

  • A devastating avalanche in Flateyri, Iceland, resulted in fatalities and widespread community impact.
  • Understanding the long-term psychological effects of natural disasters is crucial for public health.
  • Previous research highlights the vulnerability of communities following catastrophic events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the posttraumatic sequelae in adult survivors of the Flateyri avalanche.
  • To identify the prevalence of psychiatric caseness and common symptoms.
  • To explore factors associated with psychological distress in the affected population.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 104 adult inhabitants from Flateyri were studied 10 weeks post-avalanche.

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  • A control group of 87 adults from the neighboring town of Thingeyri was included for comparison.
  • The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) was used to evaluate psychiatric caseness.

    • Main Results:

    • 25% of the Flateyri group met criteria for psychiatric caseness, double the rate in the control group.
    • Common symptoms included intrusive thoughts, tension, sadness, and anxiety.
    • Loss of family members, a high number of prior life events, gender, age, and education were associated with distress.

    Conclusions:

    • The Flateyri avalanche had a significant and lasting psychological impact on survivors.
    • Intrusive thoughts and anxiety were prominent symptoms, highlighting the need for targeted mental health support.
    • Individual factors and prior life experiences modulated the distress response, underscoring the complexity of trauma recovery.