Association between adverse experiences during Hurricane Maria and mental and emotional distress among adults in Puerto Rico.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To evaluate the association between adverse experiences during Hurricane María and mental and emotional distress in Puerto Rico.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used baseline data from adult (30-75 years) participants of the Puerto Rico Observational Study of Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic Disease Trends (PROSPECT). Enrolled individuals prior to COVID-19 who completed a 33-item questionnaire on Hurricane María-related experiences (sub-categorized as personal, service, or property losses), depression symptomatology, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety were included for analysis (n = 456).

Results

Most participants experienced fear for their family's safety, damage to their home and personal items, communication outages, and water

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Cepero A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9434507 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature