Centre for Policy on Ageing



The psychosocial impact of an earthquake on the elderly
Author(s)	Stephen Ticehurst, Rosemary A Webster, Vaughan J Carr, Terry J Lewin
Journal title	International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 11, no 11, November 1996
Pages	pp 943-951
Keywords	Mental health [elderly] ; Social characteristics [elderly] ; Anxiety ; Stress ; Earthquakes ; Longitudinal surveys ; Australia.
Annotation	Comparisons were made between those aged less than 65, and 65 and older in this community Quake Impact Study of the psychosocial effects of an earthquake in Newcastle, Australia in 1989. Older subjects reported fewer threat and disruption experiences and used fewer general and disaster-related support services. However, older subjects reported higher overall levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms on the Impact of Event Scale (IES) compared with younger subjects. On both the IES and a general measure of morbidity, the effects of earthquake exposure were more marked among elderly people. Older people may be more at risk for experiencing post-traumatic stress reactions despite having fewer disaster related experiences, and may also under-utilise support services following a disaster. Older women in particular and those with an avoidance coping style appear to be most vulnerable.
Accession Number	CPA-970421013 A
Classmark	D: F: ENP: QNH: RG5: 3J: 7YA
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.