Researchers affiliated with the RISK project have published a study in Social Science & Medicine that looks at the long-term mental health consequences of Hurricane Katrina. Among the study participants—a group of low-income mothers— one in six was found to still be suffering post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and hurricane-related traumas were found to predict persistent PTSS.
Exploring PTSD Symptom Clusters and Asthma Attacks Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors
Harvard Pop Center Yerby Fellow Mariana Arcaya, ScD, and affiliated faculty members Mary C. Waters, PhD, and S.V. Subramanian, PhD, have published a study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress that examines the relationship between PTSD symptom clusters and asthma attacks among natural disaster survivors.
Can genes play a role in how we react to traumatic events?
Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member Mary Waters, PhD, has co-authored a novel study that explores the interaction between genetic variants and exposure to Hurricane Katrina on post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth (positive psychological changes that can come from experiencing and processing a disaster and its aftermath).