PSYCHOSOCIAL SEQUELAE OF THE 1989 NEWCASTLE EARTHQUAKE .2. EXPOSURE AND MORBIDITY PROFILES DURING THE FIRST 2 YEARS POSTDISASTER

Background. A sample of 1089 Australian adults was selected for the lo ngitudinal component of the Quake Impact Study, a 2-year, four-phase i nvestigation of the psychosocial effects of the 1989 Newcastle earthqu ake. Of these, 845 (78%) completed a survey 6 months post-disaster as well as one or more of the three follow-up surveys. Methods. The phase I survey was used to construct dimensional indices of self-reported e xposure to threat the disruption and also to classify subjects by thei r membership of five 'at risk' groups (the injured; the displaced; own ers of damaged small businesses; helpers in threat and non-threat situ ations). Psychological morbidity was assessed at each phase using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Results. Psychological morbidity declined over time but t ended to stabilize at about 12 months post-disaster for general morbid ity (GHQ-12) and at about 18 months for trauma-related (IES) morbidity . Initial exposure to threat and/or disruption were significant predic tors of psychological morbidity throughout the study and had superior predictive power to membership of the targeted 'at risk' groups. The d egree of ongoing disruption and other life events since the earthquake were also significant predictors of morbidity. The injured reported t he highest levels of distress, but there was a relative absence of mor bidity among the helpers. Conclusions. Future disaster research should carefully assess the threat and disruption experiences of the survivo rs at the time of the event and monitor ongoing disruptions in the aft ermath in order to target interventions more effectively.