Predictors of psychological distress in survivors of the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey: effects of relocation after the disaster

OBJECTIVE

Relocations after disasters are known to cause added distress in survivors. This study examined the effects of migration and other factors on psychological status of survivors 4 years after the two severe earthquakes in Turkey.

METHOD

Five hundred and twenty-six adult survivors of the 1999 earthquakes currently living in Ankara were given self-report measures assessing traumatic stress, depression, earthquake experience and social support.

RESULTS

The rates of current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were 25% and 11%, respectively. Although both traumatic stress and depression factors were predicted by some demographic and trauma severity variables, relocation status predicted depression but not traumatic stress.

CONCLUSION

The rates of psychological distress were higher than expected in a city considered to be safe in terms of earthquake risk. Relocation after the disaster may increase psychological distress by disrupting the social network.

Quality of life and mood in renal transplantation recipients, donors, and controls: preliminary report

Currently, living related donors are involved in approximately 85% of all kidney transplantations performed at our institution. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome factor in chronic disease. Quality of life may be diminished by prolonged illness or certain treatment modalities and by negative, disabling effects on mood. We investigated HRQL and mood in renal transplant recipients, donors, and controls using the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Recipient depression scores were significantly higher (indicating more serious depression) than those of donors (P <.05), but similar to those of the controls. There was no significant difference between the donor and the control subjects' depression scores. The anxiety scores of the recipients and donors were similar; and recipient anxiety scores were significantly higher than those of the control subjects (P <.05). The recipient scores indicated significantly poorer physical functioning (P <.001), significantly greater physical limitation on roles (P <.01), and lower levels of general health (P <.01) compared to controls. The recipient scores for vitality, pain, social functioning, and emotional limitations on roles were similar to those of the controls. Our results indicate that most recipients and donors experience anxiety after renal transplantation. This study confirms that recipients have favorable outcomes with respect to social functioning and emotional well-being. Overall, the results of this preliminary study are positive, encouraging us to continue to perform living donor kidney transplantation.

The psychosocial impact of renal transplantation on living related donors and recipients: preliminary report

We investigated the psychosocial and demographic features of living related kidney donors and recipients during follow-up visits between August 2002 and March 2003 using two new questionnaires, one for donors and one for recipients. The surveys were distributed to 22 donors and 55 recipients, 18 (81.8%) donors and 49 (89.1%) recipients completed their questionnaires. Concerning level of satisfaction with quality of life after transplantation, 93.9% of the recipients and 72.2% of the donors were "highly satisfied". Almost all donors (94.4%) said that they would make the same decision again and would also strongly encourage others to donate. Issues related to donor dissatisfaction involved beliefs that preoperative information was inadequate and perceived negative effects of transplantation on personal health at the time the survey was conducted. Only 6.1% of the recipients said they were dissatisfied with their quality of life after the operation. The main issues were psychiatric morbidity and beliefs that preoperative information was inadequate. Overall, the vast majority of donors and recipients reported that they had a positive transplantation experience. Only a small proportion of the subjects developed psychosocial morbidity or were dissatisfied with their quality of life. These results are preliminary, but it appears that better psychological preparation for the transplantation process and close psychiatric follow-up would reduce negative outcomes.