Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and alcohol and tobacco use in public health workers after the 2004 Florida hurricanes

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fullerton CS ; Kowalski-Trakofler, Kathleen M. ; McKibben JBA ; Reissman, Dori B. ; Scharf T ; Shultz JM ; Ursano RJ
• Description:
  Objective: We examined the relationship of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), probable depression, and increased alcohol and/or tobacco use to disaster exposure and work demand in Florida Department of Health workers after the 2004 hurricanes. Methods: Participants (N52249) completed electronic questionnaires assessing PTSD, depression, alcohol and tobacco use, hurricane exposure, and work demand. Results: Total mental and behavioral health burden (probable PTSD, probable depression, increased alcohol and/or tobacco use) was 11%. More than 4% had probable PTSD, and 3.8% had probable depression. Among those with probable PTSD, 29.2% had increased alcohol use, and 50% had increased tobacco use. Among those with probable depression, 34% indicated increased alcohol use and 55.6% increased tobacco use. Workers with greater exposure were more likely to have probable PTSD and probable depression (ORs53.3 and 3.06, respectively). After adjusting for demographics and work demand, those with high exposure were more likely to have probable PTSD and probable depression (ORs53.21 and 3.13). Those with high exposure had increased alcohol and tobacco use (ORs53.01 and 3.40), and those with high work demand indicated increased alcohol and tobacco use (ORs51.98 and 2.10). High exposure and work demand predicted increased alcohol and tobacco use, after adjusting for demographics, work demand, and exposure. Conclusions: Work-related disaster mental and behavioral health burden indicate the need for additional mental health interventions in the public health disaster workforce. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Men Mental Health Occupational Health Public Health Safety Stress, Psychological Surveys And Questionnaires Tobacco Products Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Alcohols Alcohol Use Author Keywords: PTSD Depression Exposure-levels Humans Hurricane Mental-health Mental-stress Psychological-effects Psychological-stress Psychology Public-health Public Health Workers Questionnaires Statistical-analysis Stress Tobacco Work-environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1935-7893
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Florida ; Maryland ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  89-95
• Volume:
  7
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043164
• Citation:
  Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2013 Feb; 7(1):89-95
• Contact Point Address:
  Carol S. Fullerton, PhD, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services, University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814
• Email:
  cfuller@erols.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:954e6cb5d8149edcd16ebdd857e5248e49fbaea238acffbfd535289f7451ae197442aae903d7314a1277dc8afa962ad5c3009697ef2495463c53b5fe9a15d8af
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195160/cdc_195160_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 289.18 KB ]