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Gender differences in the psychological impact of tsunami

Aim: The aim of this observational study was to explore gender-related differences in psychiatric morbidity during the initial three months following the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami involving the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Methods: There were 12,784 survivors sheltered across 74 relief camps with 4,684 displaced survivors in Port Blair and 8,100 non-displaced survivors in Car-Nicobar Island. All persons who accessed mental health assistance within the camps constituted the study sample. Diagnoses were made by qualified psychiatrists using the ICD-10. There were 475 patients: 188 (40%) men and 287 (60%) women. Results: There were significant gender differences in terms of displacement. There were significantly higher levels of panic disorder, unspecified anxiety disorder and somatic complaints in the displaced women while the non-displaced population showed more adjustment disorder. Conclusions: Displacement was a significant factor in the manifestations of observed pathology. Displaced women had greater psychiatric morbidity. In addition, the fact that adjustment disorder (a self-limiting disorder form of psychopathology) was more prevalent in the non-displaced group may be a reflection of the findings of overall lesser morbidity in non-displaced women. Hence, women may have to be rehabilitated in their own habitats after major disasters.