Teen dating violence and substance use following a natural disaster: Does evacuation status matter?

Authors

  • Jeff R. Temple, PhD
  • Patricia van den Berg, PhD
  • John F. “Fred” Thomas, PhD
  • James Northcutt, OTR, MOT
  • Christopher Thomas, MD
  • Daniel H. Freeman Jr, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2011.0059

Keywords:

substance use, teen dating violence, adolescents, hurricane, disaster

Abstract

Objectives: In September 2008, the Texas coast was directly hit by Hurricane Ike. Galveston Island was flooded by 4.25 m of storm surge, affecting most of the island’s housing and infrastructure.The purpose of this study is to examine whether youth who did not evacuate (11 percent), and subsequently were exposed to Hurricane Ike, exhibit higher rates of substance use and physical and sexual teen dating violence (TDV; both perpetration and victimization) when compared with adolescents who did evacuate.
Setting: Public high school in southeast Texas that was in the direct path of Hurricane Ike.
Participants: An anonymous survey was conducted in March 2009 to 1,048 high school students who returned to the Galveston Island post-storm (41 percent Hispanic, 23 percent African American, and 27 percent White).
Main outcome measures: Teen dating violence and substance use.
Results: Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios, adjusting for age and ethnicity, were computed.When compared with boys who evacuated, nonevacuating boys were more likely to perpetrate physical dating violence and sexual assault and to be a victim of sexual assault. Nonevacuating boys and girls were more likely to report recent use of excessive alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine than those who did evacuate.
Conclusions: School personnel, medical personnel, and mental health service providers should consider screening for evacuation status in seeking to identify those adolescents who most need services after a natural disaster. In addition to addressing internalized emotions and psychological symptoms associated with experiencing trauma, intervention programs should focus on reducing externalized behavior such as substance use and TDV.

Author Biographies

Jeff R. Temple, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UTMB Health, Galveston, Texas.

Patricia van den Berg, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UTMB Health, Galveston, Texas.

John F. “Fred” Thomas, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, UTMB Health, Galveston, Texas.

James Northcutt, OTR, MOT

Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UTMB Health, Galveston, Texas.

Christopher Thomas, MD

Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UTMB Health, Galveston, Texas.

Daniel H. Freeman Jr, PhD

Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, UTMB Health, Galveston, Texas.

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Published

07/01/2011

How to Cite

Temple, PhD, J. R., P. van den Berg, PhD, J. F. “Fred” Thomas, PhD, J. Northcutt, OTR, MOT, C. Thomas, MD, and D. H. Freeman Jr, PhD. “Teen Dating Violence and Substance Use Following a Natural Disaster: Does Evacuation Status Matter?”. American Journal of Disaster Medicine, vol. 6, no. 4, July 2011, pp. 201-6, doi:10.5055/ajdm.2011.0059.

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Section

Articles