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Health-related quality of life and mental health problems after a disaster: Are chronically ill survivors more vulnerable to health problems?

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Abstract

Studies have shown that the chronically ill are at higher risk for reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL) and for mental health problems. A combination with traumatic events might increase this risk. This longitudinal study among 1216 survivors of a disaster examines whether chronically ill survivors had a different course of HRQL and mental health problems compared to survivors without chronic diseases. HRQL and mental health problems were measured 3 weeks, 18 months and 4 years post-disaster. Data on pre-disaster chronic diseases was obtained from the electronic medical records of general practitioners. Random coefficient analyses showed significant interaction effects for social functioning, bodily pain and emotional role limitations at T2 only. Chronically ill survivors did not consistently have a different course of general health, physical role limitations, and mental health problems. In conclusion, chronic diseases were not an important risk factor for impaired HRQL and mental health problems among survivors.

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Abbreviations

CI:

confidence interval

EMR:

electronic medical record

GP:

general practitioner

HRQL:

health-related quality of life

IES:

impact of event scale

PTSD:

post-traumatic stress disorder

RAND-36:

Questionnaire on general health (36 items)

RCA:

random coefficient analysis

SCL-90:

Symptom Checklist (90 items)

SD:

standard deviation

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Acknowledgements

This longitudinal study was part of the Enschede Firework Disaster Health Monitoring Project (GGVE) and was performed under the authority of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Netherlands. Several research institutes cooperated on this study: The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Institute for Psychotrauma (IvP), the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), and the Department of Youth Health Care of the Regional Health Authority (GGD Regio Twente). The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Petra ten Veen with the management of the GP dataset.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3720, BA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    Bellis van den Berg, Rebecca K. Stellato & Linda Grievink

  2. Institute of Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Bellis van den Berg

  3. Institute for Psychotrauma (IvP), Zaltbommel, the Netherlands

    Peter G. van der Velden

  4. Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), Utrecht, the Netherlands

    C. Joris Yzermans

  5. Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, Postbak 10, 3720, Bilthoven, BA, the Netherlands

    Bellis van den Berg

Authors
  1. Bellis van den Berg
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  2. Peter G. van der Velden
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  3. C. Joris Yzermans
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  4. Rebecca K. Stellato
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  5. Linda Grievink
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Correspondence to Bellis van den Berg.

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van den Berg, B., van der Velden, P., Joris Yzermans, C. et al. Health-related quality of life and mental health problems after a disaster: Are chronically ill survivors more vulnerable to health problems?. Qual Life Res 15, 1571–1576 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-006-0033-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-006-0033-9

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