Long-term psychological sequelae in flood survivors of the 2017 Eurydice flood: PTSD, dissociation, depression and the role of personality

Abstract

Context

In recent years, natural disasters have become a pressing public health issue, affecting people in multifaceted ways that encompass their physical wellbeing, financial security, social structures, and psychological health. The immediate physical effects of floods have been extensively examined, but the longer-term psychological ramifications as they relate to personality traits have received comparatively less research attention.

Purpose

This study aimed to elucidate the complex interplay of vulnerability and contextual factors underlying the chronic psychological impact of natural disasters among treatment-seeking survivors. Specifically, this research aspired to explore the prevalence of self-reported long-term post-traumatic stress and depression symptoms in survivors of the 2017 Eyridice flash flood in Attica, Greece, and identified potential socio-demographic, trauma-related, and personality risk factors that shape the long-term mental health trajectories of natural disaster survivors.

Methods

Data were collected four years post-event via anonymized questionnaires from 98 community residents presenting to the Trauma and Disaster Recovery Clinic set up locally. The survey pack included the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS), the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ).

Results

Elevated PTSD and depression symptoms were observed, alongside increased self-reported rates of somatization, anxiety, compulsions, hostility, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. The key predictors of PTSD were high levels of neuroticism, older age, low levels of psychoticism, and losing one's property in the flood. Using canonical correlation, it was shown that while extraversion and psychoticism might be protective against developing PTSD and depression in the aftermath of a traumatic event, neuroticism acts as a risk factor, associated with higher PTSD and depression scores.

Conclusion

This study represents the first attempt to quantify the chronic psychological consequences to this catastrophic event in a representative sample of local residents, using validated psychometric instruments. The findings highlight protective and vulnerability factors that can inform tailored public health interventions following similar natural disasters.