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Family structure and posttraumatic stress reactions: a longitudinal study using multilevel analyses
Egil Nygaard1, Tore Wentzel-Larsen, Ajmal Hussain
1Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Kirkeveien 166, Building 48, 0407 Oslo, Norway. egil.nygaard@nkvts.unirand.no
BMC Psychiatry
|December 17, 2011
Summary
Family members living together show similar posttraumatic stress reactions after disasters. Household dynamics, not marital or parental status, influence shared trauma responses over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Disaster Mental Health
Background:
- Limited research exists on family structures' role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) development after disasters.
- This study investigates marital and parental statuses' impact on PTSD reactions post-tsunami.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the influence of family structures on posttraumatic stress reactions following the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami.
- To determine if individuals within the same household exhibit more shared stress reactions compared to those not living together.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 641 Norwegian adult citizens, many from families with children.
- Posttraumatic stress symptoms measured using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised at 6 months and 2 years.
- Multilevel analyses employed mixed-effects models to account for nested data structures.
Main Results:
- Marital and parental statuses were not significantly associated with posttraumatic stress levels.
- Adults in the same household reported more similar posttraumatic stress levels than those living apart.
- Disaster experiences strongly correlated with PTSD symptom variance between households, but less so within households over time.
Conclusions:
- Household members may mutually influence each other's posttraumatic stress and disaster interpretations over time.
- Multilevel methods are valuable for understanding family dynamics in the aftermath of disasters.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering shared household experiences in disaster mental health research.
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