Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico
Background: Within disaster-affected communities, residents’ exposures and post-disaster mental health outcomes can vary widely. Yet, few studies have explored the relationship between such diverse disaster-related exposures and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a Puerto Rican context. Methods: To addre...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000683 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823859425766539264 |
|---|---|
| author | Marie-Claire Meadows Noelle Serino Dahianira M. Camacho-Monclova Kaumudi Joshipura Sarah R. Lowe |
| author_facet | Marie-Claire Meadows Noelle Serino Dahianira M. Camacho-Monclova Kaumudi Joshipura Sarah R. Lowe |
| author_sort | Marie-Claire Meadows |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Within disaster-affected communities, residents’ exposures and post-disaster mental health outcomes can vary widely. Yet, few studies have explored the relationship between such diverse disaster-related exposures and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a Puerto Rican context. Methods: To address this gap, we used data from the Preparedness to Reduce Exposures and Diseases Post-hurricanes and Augment Resilience (PREPARE) study, a cohort of mainly Hispanic Puerto Ricans who experienced Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. This analysis focused on 484 individuals who completed structured interviews 20 to 34 months after the hurricanes. We evaluated the associations between five different disaster exposures (e.g., financial, home damage, personal health, and familial health), posttraumatic stress (PTS), and PTG and its five domains (personal strength, new possibilities, improved relationships, spiritual growth, and appreciation of life), controlling for demographic, geographic, and social factors. Results: In multivariable models, higher total disaster score was associated with higher levels of both PTS and PTG (2.91 and 3.87, respectively). Personal health impacts were consistently associated with higher levels on all PTG subscales, ranging from 0.89 to 1.94, which was not the case for other exposures. Specifically, home damage was associated with higher levels on all PTG subscales except spiritual growth, and financial and familial health impacts were associated with greater identification with new possibilities and appreciation of life only. Conclusion: These findings provide novel evidence that different disaster-related exposures have distinct associations with the different PTG domains in Puerto Rico. These findings can inform future efforts to address post-disaster mental health ailments by bolstering different aspects of PTG. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c17924bb0101406ab28c14547f14dafd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2667-2782 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-c17924bb0101406ab28c14547f14dafd2025-02-11T04:35:35ZengElsevierThe Journal of Climate Change and Health2667-27822025-01-0121100365Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto RicoMarie-Claire Meadows0Noelle Serino1Dahianira M. Camacho-Monclova2Kaumudi Joshipura3Sarah R. Lowe4Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Corresponding author at: Marie-Claire Meadows, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USACenter for Clinical Research and Health Promotion, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USACenter for Clinical Research and Health Promotion, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA; School of Public Health, Ahmedabad University, Gujarat, India; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USABackground: Within disaster-affected communities, residents’ exposures and post-disaster mental health outcomes can vary widely. Yet, few studies have explored the relationship between such diverse disaster-related exposures and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a Puerto Rican context. Methods: To address this gap, we used data from the Preparedness to Reduce Exposures and Diseases Post-hurricanes and Augment Resilience (PREPARE) study, a cohort of mainly Hispanic Puerto Ricans who experienced Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. This analysis focused on 484 individuals who completed structured interviews 20 to 34 months after the hurricanes. We evaluated the associations between five different disaster exposures (e.g., financial, home damage, personal health, and familial health), posttraumatic stress (PTS), and PTG and its five domains (personal strength, new possibilities, improved relationships, spiritual growth, and appreciation of life), controlling for demographic, geographic, and social factors. Results: In multivariable models, higher total disaster score was associated with higher levels of both PTS and PTG (2.91 and 3.87, respectively). Personal health impacts were consistently associated with higher levels on all PTG subscales, ranging from 0.89 to 1.94, which was not the case for other exposures. Specifically, home damage was associated with higher levels on all PTG subscales except spiritual growth, and financial and familial health impacts were associated with greater identification with new possibilities and appreciation of life only. Conclusion: These findings provide novel evidence that different disaster-related exposures have distinct associations with the different PTG domains in Puerto Rico. These findings can inform future efforts to address post-disaster mental health ailments by bolstering different aspects of PTG.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000683Posttraumatic growthPosttraumatic stressHurricanesPuerto RicoDisasters |
| spellingShingle | Marie-Claire Meadows Noelle Serino Dahianira M. Camacho-Monclova Kaumudi Joshipura Sarah R. Lowe Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico The Journal of Climate Change and Health Posttraumatic growth Posttraumatic stress Hurricanes Puerto Rico Disasters |
| title | Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico |
| title_full | Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico |
| title_fullStr | Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico |
| title_short | Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico |
| title_sort | beyond the storms exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes irma and maria in puerto rico |
| topic | Posttraumatic growth Posttraumatic stress Hurricanes Puerto Rico Disasters |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000683 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marieclairemeadows beyondthestormsexploringpredictorsofposttraumaticstressandposttraumaticgrowthamongsurvivorsofhurricanesirmaandmariainpuertorico AT noelleserino beyondthestormsexploringpredictorsofposttraumaticstressandposttraumaticgrowthamongsurvivorsofhurricanesirmaandmariainpuertorico AT dahianiramcamachomonclova beyondthestormsexploringpredictorsofposttraumaticstressandposttraumaticgrowthamongsurvivorsofhurricanesirmaandmariainpuertorico AT kaumudijoshipura beyondthestormsexploringpredictorsofposttraumaticstressandposttraumaticgrowthamongsurvivorsofhurricanesirmaandmariainpuertorico AT sarahrlowe beyondthestormsexploringpredictorsofposttraumaticstressandposttraumaticgrowthamongsurvivorsofhurricanesirmaandmariainpuertorico |