Anxiety Disorders: Jones RT

King DW, King LA, McArdle JJ, Grimm K, Jones RT, Ollendick TH. · Boston University and VA Boston Healthcare System, USA. · J Trauma Stress. · Pubmed #16612827 links to  free full text

Abstract: Despite the proliferation of longitudinal trauma research, careful attention to timing of assessments is often lacking. Patterns in timing of assessments, alternative time structures, and the treatment of time as an outcome are discussed and illustrated using trauma data.

Galea S, Brewin CR, Gruber M, Jones RT, King DW, King LA, McNally RJ, Ursano RJ, Petukhova M, Kessler RC. · Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. · Arch Gen Psychiatry. · Pubmed #18056551 links to  free full text

Abstract: CONTEXT: Uncertainty exists about the prevalence, severity, and correlates of mental disorders among people exposed to Hurricane Katrina. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and associations between DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders and hurricane-related stressors separately among prehurricane residents of the New Orleans metropolitan area and the remainder of the areas in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi affected by Katrina. DESIGN: Community survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 1043 English-speaking prehurricane residents of the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina was administered via telephone survey between January 19 and March 31, 2006. The survey assessed hurricane-related stressors and screened for 30-day DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The K6 screening scale of anxiety-mood disorders and the Trauma Screening Questionnaire scale for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both calibrated against blinded structured clinical reappraisal interviews to approximate the 30-day prevalence of DSM-IV disorders. RESULTS: Prehurricane residents of the New Orleans metropolitan area were estimated to have a 49.1% 30-day prevalence of any DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorder (30.3% estimated prevalence of PTSD) compared with 26.4% (12.5% PTSD) in the remainder of the sample. The vast majority of respondents reported exposure to hurricane-related stressors. Extent of stressor exposure was more strongly related to the outcomes in the New Orleans metropolitan area subsample than the remainder of the sample. The stressors most strongly related to these outcomes were physical illness/injury and physical adversity in the New Orleans metropolitan area subsample and property loss in the remainder of the sample. Sociodemographic correlates were not explained either by differential exposure or reactivity to hurricane-related stressors. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of DSM-IV anxiety-mood disorders, the strong associations of hurricane-related stressors with these outcomes, and the independence of sociodemographics from stressors argue that the practical problems associated with ongoing stressors are widespread and must be addressed to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders in this population.

Kessler RC, Galea S, Jones RT, Parker HA, Anonymous00178. · Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. · Bull World Health Organ. · Pubmed #17242828 links to  free full text

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of Hurricane Katrina on mental illness and suicidality by comparing results of a post-Katrina survey with those of an earlier survey. METHODS: The National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, conducted between February 2001 and February 2003, interviewed 826 adults in the Census Divisions later affected by Hurricane Katrina. The post-Katrina survey interviewed a new sample of 1043 adults who lived in the same area before the hurricane. Identical questions were asked about mental illness and suicidality. The post-Katrina survey also assessed several dimensions of personal growth that resulted from the trauma (for example, increased closeness to a loved one, increased religiosity). Outcome measures used were the K6 screening scale of serious mental illness and mild-moderate mental illness and questions about suicidal ideation, plans and attempts. FINDINGS: Respondents to the post-Katrina survey had a significantly higher estimated prevalence of serious mental illness than respondents to the earlier survey (11.3% after Katrina versus 6.1% before; chi(2)1= 10.9; P < 0.001) and mild-moderate mental illness (19.9% after Katrina versus 9.7% before; chi(2)1 = 22.5; P < 0.001). Among respondents estimated to have mental illness, though, the prevalence of suicidal ideation and plans was significantly lower in the post-Katrina survey (suicidal ideation 0.7% after Katrina versus 8.4% before; chi(2)1 = 13.1; P < 0.001; plans for suicide 0.4% after Katrina versus 3.6% before; chi(2)1 = 6.0; P = 0.014). This lower conditional prevalence of suicidality was strongly related to two dimensions of personal growth after the trauma (faith in one's own ability to rebuild one's life, and realization of inner strength), without which between-survey differences in suicidality were insignificant. CONCLUSION: Despite the estimated prevalence of mental illness doubling after Hurricane Katrina, the prevalence of suicidality was unexpectedly low. The role of post-traumatic personal growth in ameliorating the effects of trauma-related mental illness on suicidality warrants further investigation.

Jones RT, Ribbe DP, Cunningham PB, Weddle JD, Langley AK. · Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA. · Behav Modif. · Pubmed #11961911 No free full text.

Abstract: Six weeks following a major wildfire, children's psychosocial functioning was examined. Employing a multimethod assessment approach, the short-term mental health consequences of the fire were evaluated. Individual adjustment was compared between families who reported high levels of loss as a result of the fire (high-loss group) and families who reported relatively low levels of loss resulting from the fire (low-loss group). Standardized assessment procedures were employed for children and adolescents as well as their parents. In general, high-loss participants reported slightly higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and significantly higher scores on the Impact of Events Scale. PTSD symptoms reported by parents were generally significantly correlated with (but not concordant with) PTSD symptoms reported by their children. The high-loss group scored significantly higher on the Resource Loss Index than did the low-loss group. Preexisting and comorbid disorders and previous stressors are described. A methodological framework for future studies in this area is discussed.