Department of Psychology, Government Degree College, Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir 193301, India.
Department of Psychology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India.
Psychiatry Res. 2018 Mar;261:449-455. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.01.023. Epub 2018 Jan 13.
Exposure to disasters such as floods predisposes individuals for psychological distress such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Researchers exploring the association between flood-exposure and psychopathology attempt to understand the conditions and mechanisms through which potential benefits may occur. One such potential factor that may contribute to resilience in the face of disaster is social support system. However, there is scarcity of researches concerning the protective effects of social support following floods, in adult samples. Thus, the present study examined the moderating and indirect effects of perceived social support from family and friends in the association between flood-exposure and symptoms of PTSD and depression. The study was a cross sectional in nature. Survey data were collected from 87 adult survivors of flood fury in Kashmir valley, aged 30-40. High level of family and friends' support reduced the association between flood-exposure and symptoms of PTSD and depression whereas a low level of such support enhanced this association. Results also suggested that family support carried a significant proportion of variance in predicting depression. Given the potential for negative mental health outcomes following natural disasters, efforts to enhance adults' social support may be especially important.
暴露于洪水等灾害中会使个体易患创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）、抑郁和焦虑等心理困扰。研究人员探索洪水暴露与精神病理学之间的关联，试图了解可能发生潜在益处的条件和机制。一个可能有助于在灾难面前保持韧性的潜在因素是社会支持系统。然而，关于洪水后社会支持的保护作用的研究在成人样本中很少。因此，本研究检验了感知到的来自家庭和朋友的社会支持在洪水暴露与 PTSD 和抑郁症状之间的关联中的调节和间接作用。该研究是横断面研究。从克什米尔山谷洪水灾害的 87 名 30-40 岁成年幸存者中收集了调查数据。高水平的家庭和朋友支持减少了洪水暴露与 PTSD 和抑郁症状之间的关联，而低水平的支持则增强了这种关联。结果还表明，家庭支持对预测抑郁具有显著的影响。鉴于自然灾害后可能出现负面心理健康后果，努力增强成年人的社会支持可能尤为重要。
