The Effects of Hurricane Katrina on Females with a Pre-Existing Fear of Storms

Psychological outcomes for young adults after disastrous events: A mixed-methods scoping review

RATIONALE

Young adulthood (18 to 34) is a time of transitional change where individuals can be highly susceptible to mental health concerns. Despite similar vulnerabilities to their adolescent counterparts, the psychological outcomes for young adults following disasters are not well understood.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aimed to explore the literature on the psychological outcomes for young adults after disaster events.

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature was conducted in seven electronic databases, including PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, PILOTS, EMBASE, Scopus, and ProQuest dissertations and theses global. In total, 91 reports from 15 countries were included.

RESULTS

Findings suggested that young adults experience a range of psychological consequences after disasters, including posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, and other psychological outcomes, such as general/non-specific psychological distress. Pre-disaster, peri-disaster, and post-disaster factors were also found to influence the degree of psychological outcomes experienced by young adults, including prior psychological functioning and disaster exposure, among a host of other factors.

CONCLUSION

Future research is recommended to better understand young adults' psychological outcomes, experiences, and service needs following disasters.

One-Session Treatment of a Specific Phobia of Swallowing Pills

This case study presents the treatment of a 23-year-old single White male with a specific phobia of swallowing and choking on pills. He presented for treatment as part of a larger treatment study for specific phobia and met criteria for a specific phobia, other type (swallowing pills), and social phobia. Treatment of the specific phobia involved One-Session Treatment and was conducted per Zlomke and Davis and Davis, Ollendick, and Öst. A posttreatment assessment 3 weeks after treatment and an 8-week follow-up assessment revealed significant improvements. At both assessments following treatment, clinician severity ratings on the Anxiety Disorders Inverview Schedule—Client (ADIS-IV) decreased, indicating no significant impairment, and the ADIS-IVs at those time periods indicated he no longer met criteria for a specific phobia. Improvements were also seen in the client’s self-reported fear, on his ratings of catastrophic cognitions, on a behavioral avoidance task, and in the comorbid social phobia symptoms.