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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Antor Ndep Ola, MPH, CHES¹, Jeanette H. Magnus, MD, PhD¹, Traci Hong, PhD², and Carolyn C. Johnson, PhD². (1) School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-988-4637, aola@tulane.edu, (2) Community Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., Ste. 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112-2715

Several months have passed since Hurricane Katrina yet; thousands of New Orleans evacuees are still displaced within and outside the state of Louisiana. The literature comparing post-disaster perceived stress and coping self-efficacy of displaced residents in transition from evacuee status back to permanent residency in the disaster area is limited. OBJECTIVE: To describe the perceived stress and coping self-efficacy of New Orleans Evacuees' living in shelters and transitional housing at three, six and nine months post-Hurricane Katrina. METHODS: This case study investigated the post-disaster perceived stress and coping self-efficacy of a cross sectional sample (n = 100) of displaced New Orleans population interviewed at three, six and nine months after Hurricane Katrina. Respondents had resided in shelters and transitional housing during the initial months after the Hurricane. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a semi-structured interview. Items in the questionnaire include pre-and post-Katrina media use, hurricane preparedness, demographics, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Hurricane coping Self-Efficacy Scale (HCSE). RESULTS: Preliminary results suggest that the living conditions of the evacuees are a contributing factor to their perceived stress. In addition, Social Cognitive Theory suggests that individual's coping self-efficacy will vary over the three interview periods. CONCLUSION: Individual's post-Katrina perceived stress will vary as their coping self-efficacy varies over the three points in time.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, the participants will be able to
• Identify specific stressors affecting a displaced population
• Define familial roots and assess its association with percieved stress
• Describe how coping self-efficacy of individuals affected by a natural disaster varies over time

Keywords: Stress, Coping

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation