For Sandy survivors, mental health issues persist 2 years after storm, survey finds

union-beach-sandy

Two years after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, a new survey found many survivors of the storm are still suffering from psychological distress. Here, widespread devastation is shown along Brook and Prospect avenues in Union Beach after the storm.

(Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

Though two years have passed since Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, a new poll finds that mental health issues remain among residents whose homes were significantly damaged during the storm.

While the percentage of residents suffering serious psychological distress ticked down from a year ago, according to the Monmouth University Poll, nearly half of those surveyed still report at least moderate distress, which is just slightly lower than a year ago. The poll shows stress levels are higher among those who remain displaced than those who have been able to return home.

“Resilient individuals and families are able to maintain a sense of hope, and are able to identify the areas of their lives that they have control over and enact change," said Christine Hatchard, an assistant professor of psychology and director of the Clinical Psychology Research Center at Monmouth University. "However, the longer that environmental conditions remain poor, such as continuing to be displaced, resiliency, mental health and coping skills can decline."

The survey tracked hundreds of residents over the last two years who had more than one foot of flooding in the first floor or at least $8,000 in property damage during Sandy. About a year after Sandy hit, more than 800 residents were surveyed and more than 600 of those residents were interviewed again over the past few months.

The survey found little change in the mental health of Sandy survivors, with 20 percent reporting serious distress compared to 26 percent a year ago. Half of the residents surveyed reported suffering from at least moderate distress a year ago. That dropped to 47 percent in the more recent poll.

The poll also found that half of those surveyed had no change in their individual stress levels, while 18 percent saw improvement and 21 percent were worse off.

Just one group saw significant improvement: residents able to move back home. Half of those surveyed who were able to return home over the past year were faring better. For residents who were able to return home more than a year ago, roughly a quarter reported less distress and the majority showed no change in stress levels.

For residents who are still displaced, 31 percent reported less stress, 26 percent reported more stress and 43 percent had no change.

"Getting people back in to their homes is not a panacea for healing all the mental health concerns of Sandy survivors. However, it is the biggest single positive factor we see in these results,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The poll also found that 22 percent of the residents surveyed showed signs of a provisional diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Parents of children under the age of 18 in the group surveyed had among the highest rates of PTSD.

Hatchard said that wasn't surprising.

"Caring for children, worrying about their well-being and feeling helpless to improve the family’s situation is understandably stressful and tests parents’ resiliency,” Hatchard said.

The survey was conducted online and by telephone with 616 New Jersey Sandy survivors as part of a larger study tracking the experiences of residents impacted by the storm. The survey results cannot be statistically projected to the larger population of all Sandy victims in New Jersey.

The survey's results will be featured in a special program on NJTV called "The State of New Jersey’s Health: Living in Sandy’s Shadow” that airs at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29.

Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter NJ.com on Facebook.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.