Optimism Averted Suicidality in Katrina Survivors : Experts warn that the low prevalence of suicidal tendencies might reverse if expectations aren't met.
In addition to a doubling of positive screens for clinically significant anxiety or mood disorders, compared with a survey conducted 2 years before the hurricane, the interviews identified the following posttraumatic stressors:
▸ A substantial proportion of respondents reported having emotional problems related to their experiences in the hurricane.
▸ One-fourth (25.3%) of survey respondents reported having nightmares about their experiences in the hurricane in the past month.
▸ Nearly half (49.6%) of the respondents who were prehurricane residents of New Orleans reported having nightmares.
▸ More than half (51.8% of the total survey population and 79.4% of pre-hurricane residents of New Orleans) reported being more irritable or angry than usual.
Results also showed posttraumatic personal growth:
▸ Most respondents (88.5%) reported that they had developed a deeper sense of meaning or purpose in life as a result of their experiences with the hurricane.
▸ More than three-quarters of the respondents (77.3%) said they had become more spiritual or religious through their hurricane experiences.
▸ Almost half of the respondents (45%) rated the discovery of inner strength as having happened “a lot” during and after the hurricane.
▸ Non-Hispanic blacks (62.4%) and people with low pre-hurricane incomes (57.8%) were most likely to report the discovery of “a lot” of inner strength.
▸ Most respondents (83.4%) reported having “a lot” of faith in their own abilities to rebuild their lives.
A complete copy of the report of the baseline interviews with survivors can be found at
