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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Social Threat-Safety Test Uncovers Psychosocial Stress-Related Phenotypes

Social Threat-Safety Test Uncovers Psychosocial Stress-Related Phenotypes

Published on: December 15, 2023

Stress sensitization following a disaster: a prospective study.

G E Smid¹, P G van der Velden, G J L M Lensvelt-Mulders

¹Foundation Centrum '45/Arq, Diemen, The Netherlands. g.smid@centrum45.nl

Psychological Medicine

|December 1, 2011

Summary

Disaster survivors with severe home damage showed increased stress responses to later life events in the first two years post-disaster. This stress sensitization effect was not observed four years later, suggesting it is temporary.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Trauma Studies
Disaster Research

Background:

The stress sensitization hypothesis posits that prior extreme stressors increase responsiveness to subsequent stressors.
The long-term impact of disaster exposure on stress sensitization remains unclear.
This study prospectively investigated stress sensitization following a major disaster.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the occurrence and duration of stress sensitization in disaster survivors.
To determine if disaster exposure leads to heightened sensitivity to future stressful life events (SLEs).
To assess the persistence of stress sensitization over time.

Main Methods:

A prospective cohort study involving 1083 residents affected by a fireworks disaster.
Data collected at three time points: 2-3 weeks (T1), 18-20 months (T2), and nearly 4 years (T3) post-disaster.
Assessed disaster exposure (direct exposure, home damage), SLEs, and distress indicators (anxiety, depression, concentration difficulty, hostility, sleep disturbance, intrusion, avoidance).

Main Results:

Residents with completely destroyed homes exhibited greater distress in response to SLEs at 18-20 months post-disaster compared to those with less damage.
No significant differences in stress responsiveness were found nearly 4 years after the disaster.
This indicates a temporary effect of stress sensitization.

Conclusions:

Stress sensitization may occur in disaster survivors with extreme exposure during the initial years following a disaster.
This phenomenon could explain the persistence or worsening of distress over time after extreme stressor exposure.
The findings suggest that the heightened stress response is temporary, diminishing by the four-year mark.