(P1-97) Long-Term Effects of a Flood on the Psychosocial Health of Victims

Abstract

Long term Effects of a Flood on the Psychosocial Health of Victims D. Maltais1 et L. Lachance2, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada, 1Département des sciences humaines, 2Département des sciences de la santé In July 1996, floods disrupted the lives of thousands of people living in rural and urban communities in the Saguenay area of Quebec. Data collected three years after the events showed that flood victims experienced more precarious psychological health, with various factors being controlled including sex, age, and life events. Flood victims demonstrated more post-traumatic symptoms, somatic symptoms, social dysfunctions, and depressive symptoms than non-victims. Victims also showed significantly lower levels of psychological well-being than non-victims. In order to identify the long-term impacts of flood exposure, a second study was conducted eight years after the event (2004) with the same groups of victims (N = 129) and non-victims (N = 89). Variance analyses show that urban survivors obtained improved scores on scales measuring PTSD, and depression yet remained significantly more affected than non-victims. Over time, victims also obtained improved scores on the GHQ-28 and the Affect Balance Scale yet also remained significantly different from non-victims on the GHQ-28. Rural victims improved their GHQ scores over time as well, yet maintained significant differences with rural non-victims for the PTSD score. No significant differences were observed over time (time 1 and time 2) or between groups (victims and non-victims) regarding psychological well-being and depressive symptoms in rural area.