PSYCHOSOCIAL SEQUELAE OF THE 1989 NEWCASTLE EARTHQUAKE .1. COMMUNITY DISASTER EXPERIENCES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MORBIDITY 6 MONTHS POSTDISASTER

A stratified random sample of 3007 Australian adults completed a scree ning questionnaire 6 months after the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. Infor mation was obtained on initial earthquake experiences and reactions, u se of specific services, social support, coping strategies and psychol ogical morbidity. This questionnaire was the first phase of the Quake Impact Study, a longitudinal project investigating the psychosocial im pact of the earthquake. Two weighted indices of exposure were develope d: a threat index, which measured exposure to injury or the possibilit y of injury; and a disruption index, which measured experiences of pro perty damage, displacement and other losses. Levels of exposure to thr eat and disruption events were significant predictors of morbidity on both the General Health Questionnaire and Impact of Event Scale, as we re coping style and gender. Effects of exposure to threat and disrupti on were largely additive, with higher exposure being associated with g reater use of support services, higher perceived stressfulness and mor e severe psychological morbidity. Use of avoidance as a coping strateg y, female gender, lower social support and being older were also assoc iated with higher post-disaster psychological distress. It was estimat ed that 14.8% of the population was exposed to high levels of threat o r disruption, of whom approximately 25% experienced moderate to severe psychological distress as a direct result of the disaster. It was fur ther estimated that 18.3% of those exposed to high levels of threat we re at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, representing approximately 2% of the city's adult population.