| PTSD and alcohol use disorder common in adolescents exposed to natural disasters Adolescents who were highly exposed to natural and environmental disasters show higher levels of alcohol misuse and emotional trauma than their peers, according to new research presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. The findings indicate the importance of mental health services for youth that have experienced emotional trauma. Previous research has found long-term posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and depression symptoms in both adults and adolescents who experienced Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in 2010. Researchers led by Robert Fuchs, medical student at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, examined post-disaster alcohol use by adolescents. Joy D. Osofsky, PhD, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans presented the work at the conference. More than 450 high school students (age 14–18) in St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana who had been exposed to both the hurricane and oil spill as children participated in a survey about socioeconomic status, emotional states, level of alcohol use and their degree of disaster exposure. Adolescents who were highly exposed to Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had higher levels of alcohol misuse and emotional trauma compared to their peers with lower exposure to these disasters. Depression most strongly predicted PTSD, followed by anger and loneliness. The researchers conclude that social support to help adolescent disaster victims with feelings of depression, anger and loneliness may reduce alcohol use in these populations. Robert Fuchs is a second-year M.D. Ph.D. student at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. His research interests concern the biological changes underlying neuropsychiatric dysfunction, such as in addiction and chronic anxiety. Howard J. Osofsky, M.D., Ph.D., is the Kathleen and John Bricker Chair, Department of Psychiatry at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. Joy D. Osofsky, Ph.D., is a clinical and developmental psychologist, Paul J. Ramsay Chair and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. |