UNDERSTANDING ACUTE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS FOLLOWING NATURAL DISASTER

A household probability sample of 229 adults was interviewed four to s even months after the Sierra Madre earthquake (June 28, 1991; Los Ange les County). The study predicted psychological distress from these var iables: demographics, traumatic event history, low magnitude event his tory, earthquake related threat perceptions, and earthquake related re source loss. Based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) stress model , it was predicted that resource loss would be central in predicting p sychological distress. Three major hypotheses were supported. (1) reso urce loss was positively associated with psychological distress; (2) r esource loss predicted psychological distress when other predictors we re statistically controlled; and (3) resource loss was associated with mild to moderate elevations in of psychological distress. The finding s support COR stress theory. Theoretical and practical implications ar e discussed.