Health Sequelae (health + sequelae)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Previous experience of spontaneous or elective abortion and risk for posttraumatic stress and depression during subsequent pregnancy

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 8 2010
Lydia Hamama
Abstract Background: Few studies have considered whether elective and/or spontaneous abortion (EAB/SAB) may be risk factors for mental health sequelae in subsequent pregnancy. This paper examines the impact of EAB/SAB on mental health during subsequent pregnancy in a sample of women involved in a larger prospective study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across the childbearing year (n=1,581). Methods: Women expecting their first baby completed standardized telephone assessments including demographics, trauma history, PTSD, depression, and pregnancy wantedness, and religiosity. Results: Fourteen percent (n=221) experienced a prior elective abortion (EAB), 13.1% (n=206) experienced a prior spontaneous abortion (SAB), and 1.4% (n=22) experienced both. Of those women who experienced either an EAB or SAB, 13.9% (n=220) appraised the EAB or SAB experience as having been "a hard time" (i.e., potentially traumatic) and 32.6% (n=132) rated it as their index trauma (i.e., their worst or second worst lifetime exposure). Among the subset of 405 women with prior EAB or SAB, the rate of PTSD during the subsequent pregnancy was 12.6% (n,51), the rate of depression was 16.8% (n=68), and 5.4% (n,22) met criteria for both disorders. Conclusions: History of sexual trauma predicted appraising the experience of EAB or SAB as "a hard time." Wanting to be pregnant sooner was predictive of appraising the experience of EAB or SAB as the worst or second worst (index) trauma. EAB or SAB was appraised as less traumatic than sexual or medical trauma exposures and conveyed relatively lower risk for PTSD. The patterns of predictors for depression were similar. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.© 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Medium-term post-Katrina health sequelae among New Orleans residents: predictors of poor mental and physical health

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 17 2008
Son Chae Kim
Aims., To assess the medium-term post-Katrina mental and physical health of New Orleans residents and to determine demographic, social and environmental factors that predict poor mental and physical health. Background., Major disasters can have a negative impact on the health of survivors for prolonged periods. Although the initial and short-term impacts of Hurricane Katrina have been well described, the medium-term impacts have not been studied as thoroughly. Design., Cross-sectional survey. Methods., A convenience sample (n = 222) of residents in Gentilly area of New Orleans completed questionnaires between 16 and 18 December 2006. Multivariate logistic regression and multiple regression models were employed to determine predictors of poor mental and physical health. Results., Poor mental health was reported by 52% of the respondents. Pre-Katrina depression [odds ratio (OR) = 19·1], post-Katrina depression (OR = 7·2), poor physical health (OR = 5·6), feeling unsafe from crime (OR = 4·3) and female gender (OR = 2·6) were significant predictor variables of poor mental health. Twenty-four percent of the variance in number of days of poor mental health was explained by the independent variables (R2 = 0·24; p < 0·001). Poor physical health was reported by 48% of the respondents. Poor mental health (OR = 3·9), lack of money to buy food (OR = 2·7) and pre-Katrina arthritis (OR = 2·6) were significant predictor variables of poor physical health. Twenty-three percent of the variance in number of days of poor physical health was explained by the independent variables (R2 = 0·23; p < 0·001). Conclusions., Approximately half of the New Orleans residents continue to experience poor mental and physical health 15 months after Katrina. The results support focusing post-Katrina efforts to protect residents from crime, improve mental health services to the depressed and improve food supply to the poor. Relevance to clinical practice., Identifying predictors of poor mental and physical health may help clinicians and policy makers to focus their efforts in ameliorating the post-disaster health sequelae. [source]


The effect of traumatic bereavement on tsunami-exposed survivors,

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 6 2009
Kerstin Bergh Johannesson
Fourteen months after the 2004 tsunami, mental health outcome was assessed in 187 bereaved relatives, 308 bereaved friends, and in 3,020 nonbereaved Swedish survivors. Of the bereaved relatives, 41% reported posttraumatic stress reactions and 62% reported impaired general mental health. Having been caught or chased by the tsunami in combination with bereavement was associated with increased posttraumatic stress reactions. Complicated grief reactions among relatives were almost as frequent as posttraumatic stress reactions. The highest levels of psychological distress were found among those who had lost children. Traumatic bereavement, in combination with exposure to life danger, is probably a risk factor for mental health sequelae after a natural disaster. [source]


Violence Prevention in the Emergency Department: Future Research Priorities

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2009
Debra Houry MD
Abstract The 2009 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference working group session participants developed recommendations and research questions for violence prevention in the emergency department (ED). A writing group devised a working draft prior to the meeting and presented this to the breakout session at the consensus conference for input and approval. The recommendations include: 1) promote and facilitate the collection of standardized information related to violence victimization and perpetration in ED settings; 2) develop and validate brief practical screening instruments that can identify those at risk for perpetration of violence toward others or toward self; 3) develop and validate brief practical screening instruments that can identify victims at risk for violent reinjury and mental health sequelae; and 4) conduct efficacy, translational, and dissemination research on interventions for violence prevention. The work group emphasized the critical need and role of ED-based research to impact surveillance and prevention of future violence-related injury. [source]