RESUMO
Previous studies in developing countries have demonstrated post-disaster stress disorders in a substantial share of the people living through a natural calamity, but questions have remained as to the severity of these mental health problems. This article reports information derived from a 1987 study of Ecuadorian earthquake victims that shows many of the victims had diagnosable psychiatric disorders and provides insight into the nature of those disorders.
Assuntos
Desastres , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/etiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Transtorno Depressivo/epidemiologia , Transtorno Depressivo/etiologia , Equador/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Entrevista Psicológica , Masculino , Programas de Rastreamento , Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Transtornos Mentais/etiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Autoavaliação (Psicologia) , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/epidemiologia , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Previous studies in developing countries have demonstrated post-disaster stress disorders in a substantial share of the people living through a natural calamity, but questions have remained as to the severity of these mental health problems. This article reports information derived from a 1987 study of Ecuadorian earthquake victims that shows many of the victims had diagnosable psychiatric disorders and provides insight into the nature of those disorders.
Assuntos
Desastres , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/epidemiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Instituições de Assistência Ambulatorial , Países em Desenvolvimento , Equador/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Serviços de Saúde Mental , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Atenção Primária à SaúdeRESUMO
Two months following the 1987 earthquakes in Ecuador, 150 patients in the primary health care clinics of the area were screened for emotional problems; 40% of them were emotionally distressed. Risk factors included not being married, reporting poor physical or emotional health, and having ill-defined physical complaints. The findings from this research are discussed in relation to a disaster of much greater intensity, whose victims were studied by the authors, utilizing the same instrument and research design. The comparison between these 2 groups of disaster victims revealed that: 1) the prevalence of emotional distress was smaller among the Ecuador victims, but the frequency of symptoms among the distressed was similar for both groups; 2) the symptom profiles were remarkably similar; and 3) the most frequent symptoms and the strongest predictors of emotional distress were very similar. These findings support a focused training of health care workers on selected emotional problems that are regularly present among victims of different disasters.