POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS, DEPRESSION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG COLLEGE-STUDENTS AFTER HURRICANE-ANDREW

A survey of 220 college students conducted one month after Hurricane Andrew hit Southern Florida included an impact assessment, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors, the Reaction Index, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Inventory (CES-D), the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a Pre-/Posthurricane Stressors and Hassles Survey. Students who reported having experienced the most severe impact damage from the storm also reported having experienced the most stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Nearly half of the students who sustained high damage to their dwellings could be classified as depressed. Regression analyses revealed that material and emotional social support were significant predictors of anxiety and depression scores after the storm.