Abstract
This study examined the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on cognitive and psychosocial functioning among middle-aged (45-64 years), older (65-89 years), and oldest-old adults (90 years and over) in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study (LHAS). Analyses of pre- and post-disaster cognitive data showed storm-related decrements in working memory for the middle-aged and older adults, but not for the oldest-old adults. Regression analyses confirmed that measures of social engagement and storm-related disruption significantly predicted pre- to post-disaster differences in short-term and working memory performance for the middle-aged and older adults only. These results are consistent with a burden perspective on post-disaster psychological reactions. Implications for current views of disaster reactions are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2463-2487 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Social Psychology |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology