Abstract
ObjectivesFemale gender and young age are known risk factors for psychological morbidity after a disaster, but this conclusion is based on studies without a pre-disaster assessment. The aim of this study in family practice was to investigate if these supposed risk factors would still occur in a study design with a pre-disaster measurement.MethodsA matched cohort study with pre-disaster (one year) and post-disaster (five years) data. Community controls (N = 3164) were matched with affected residents (N = 3164) on gender, age and socioeconomic status. Main outcome measures were utilization rates measured by family practice attendances and psychological, musculoskeletal and digestive health problems as registered by the family practitioner using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC).ResultsAffected residents of female and male gender and in five age groups all showed increases in utilization rates in the first post-disaster year and in psychological problems when compared to their pre-disaster baseline levels. The increases showed no statistically significant changes, however, between women and men and between all age groups.ConclusionGender and age did not appear to be disaster-related risk factors in this study in family practice with a pre-disaster base line assessment, a comparison group and using existing registries. Family practitioners should not focus specifically on these risk groups.
Highlights
Disasters often have an effect on the victims' health and victims present more psychological and physical health problems as a result
Most of the studies found that women present with more health problems than men in the aftermath of a disaster related to earthquakes and hurricanes [2,3,4,5,6,7]
Setting Every citizen of the Netherlands is registered with one family practitioner (FP), who acts as a gatekeeper to secondary care
Summary
Disasters often have an effect on the victims' health and victims present more psychological and physical health problems as a result Within this context, several risk groups may be distinguished, as gender and age, which have been described after many disasters [1]. Tolin & Foa conducted a meta – analysis on sex differences in trauma and PTSD, using 290 studies published between 1980 and 2005. Their general conclusion was that females were more likely than males to meet criteria for PTSD, females were less likely to experience potentially traumatic events [11]
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