the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 19 Mar 2024
Always on My Mind: Indications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Those Affected by the 2021 Flood Event in the Ahr Valley, Germany
Abstract. The devastating floods that swept through the Ahr Valley in July 2021 left indelible marks on the region's landscape and communities. Beyond the visible damage, experience from other events suggests an increase in mental health issues among those affected. However, there is a lack of data and understanding regarding the impact of flooding on mental health in Germany. Therefore, this study aims to determine how much the flooding in 2021 affected the population's mental well-being. For this purpose, a household-level survey (n = 516) was conducted in the district of Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany’s most affected region, one year after the flood event, i.e., in June/July 2022. The survey utilized a short epidemiological screening scale to determine the prevalence of people who show indications of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using binary logistic regression analyses, we identify risk and protective factors that may have played a role in the development of PTSD to find intervention points for supporting those affected. Our findings reveal significant mental health issues one year after the flood event: 28.2 % of the respondents show indications of PTSD. Furthermore, this study has uncovered essential risk factors for developing indications of PTSD after flooding: female gender, getting seriously injured or sick during the event and feeling left alone to cope with flood impacts. The study emphasizes that severe flooding, such as the 2021 flood, results in new health-related needs that demand attention. As a result, care methods should be adapted to tackle the prevalence and risk factors connected with PTSD in the affected population.
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Notice on discussion status
The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.
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Preprint
(826 KB)
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.
- Preprint
(826 KB) - Metadata XML
- BibTeX
- EndNote
- Final revised paper
Journal article(s) based on this preprint
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-725', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Apr 2024
With the research article 'Always on My Mind: Indications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Those Affected by the 2021 Flood Event in the Ahr Valley, Germany ', the authors fill a critical and timely knowledge gap concerning the mental health implications following devastating flood disasters. They use a household-level survey and application of binary logistic regression analyses in an exploratory approach to investigate risk and protective factors of experiences PTSD after major flood disasters, using the recent event that took place in the Ahr Valley in July 2021 as an example. The applied methods is grounded in literature and comprehensively explained. The results along with limitations where applicable are well presented and discussed.
Given the manuscript's comprehensive insights, alongside the relevance and significance of its findings presented in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner, I believe it merits publication without further revisions. It offers valuable insights that are likely to influence public health policies and practices concerning disaster management and post-event mental health support.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-RC1 -
AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Marie-Luise Zenker, 16 May 2024
Dear Reviewer,
thank you for taking the time and effort to review the manuscript. We are very happy with the positive evaluation, which does not propose further revisions.
Kind regards on behalf of all authors,
Marie-Luise Zenker
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-AC2
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AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Marie-Luise Zenker, 16 May 2024
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-725', Anonymous Referee #2, 06 May 2024
Specific Comments & Technical Corrections:
- "Ahr Valley" could be clarified as "the Ahr Valley" for consistency and clarity.
- In "i.e., in June/July 2022", consider replacing "i.e." with "specifically", as it's not introducing an alternative term but specifying the timeframe.
- "The survey utilized a short epidemiological screening scale to determine the prevalence of people who show indications of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." - This sentence could be rephrased for clarity and flow: "The survey employed a short epidemiological screening scale to assess the prevalence of individuals showing indications of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."
- Consider specifying the name or source of the screening scale used for transparency and reproducibility of the study.
- In "Our findings reveal significant mental health issues one year after the flood event: 28.2% of the respondents show indications of PTSD." - Consider rephrasing for clarity: "Our findings indicate significant mental health issues one year after the flood event, with 28.2% of respondents showing indications of PTSD."
- "Furthermore, this study has uncovered essential risk factors for developing indications of PTSD after flooding" - Consider revising for clarity and conciseness: "Additionally, the study identified key risk factors associated with developing PTSD symptoms following flooding."
- "As a result, care methods should be adapted to tackle the prevalence and risk factors connected with PTSD in the affected population." - Consider specifying what specific adaptations are recommended for care methods.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-RC2 -
AC1: 'Reply on RC2', Marie-Luise Zenker, 16 May 2024
Thank you for taking the time and effort to review the manuscript. We sincerely appreciate all valuable comments and suggestions, which helped us to improve our manuscript.
Kind regards on behalf of all authors,
Marie-Luise Zenker
We address below the comments (in italics) raised and explain in our detailed point-by-point response how we will address these in a revised version of our manuscript.
1. "Ahr Valley" could be clarified as "the Ahr Valley" for consistency and clarity.
The term “the Ahr Valley” is consistently implemented throughout the revised manuscript.
2. In "i.e., in June/July 2022", consider replacing "i.e." with "specifically", as it's not introducing an alternative term but specifying the timeframe.
We thank you for this comment. We will change the sentence for clarity according to the suggestion.
3. "The survey utilized a short epidemiological screening scale to determine the prevalence of people who show indications of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." - This sentence could be rephrased for clarity and flow: "The survey employed a short epidemiological screening scale to assess the prevalence of individuals showing indications of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."
We appreciate the suggestion and will change the sentence accordingly.
4. Consider specifying the name or source of the screening scale used for transparency and reproducibility of the study.
Thank you for this comment. The epidemiological short-screening scale we used has no generally accepted name or abbreviation, and since it is unusual/unpractical to include references in the abstract, we prefer not to do so. In the method section of our manuscript, we explain which screening tool we used exactly.
5. In "Our findings reveal significant mental health issues one year after the flood event: 28.2% of the respondents show indications of PTSD." - Consider rephrasing for clarity: "Our findings indicate significant mental health issues one year after the flood event, with 28.2% of respondents showing indications of PTSD."
Thank you for this comment. We will change the sentence according to the suggestion.
6. "Furthermore, this study has uncovered essential risk factors for developing indications of PTSD after flooding" - Consider revising for clarity and conciseness: "Additionally, the study identified key risk factors associated with developing PTSD symptoms following flooding."
We will change the sentence as suggested.
7. "As a result, care methods should be adapted to tackle the prevalence and risk factors connected with PTSD in the affected population." - Consider specifying what specific adaptations are recommended for care methods.
Thank you for this comment. We will include an example related to our findings. We suggest providing targeted aftercare for individuals who were injured or became sick during the flood event, as this is a significant risk factor identified in our study.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-AC1
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
-
RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-725', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Apr 2024
With the research article 'Always on My Mind: Indications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Those Affected by the 2021 Flood Event in the Ahr Valley, Germany ', the authors fill a critical and timely knowledge gap concerning the mental health implications following devastating flood disasters. They use a household-level survey and application of binary logistic regression analyses in an exploratory approach to investigate risk and protective factors of experiences PTSD after major flood disasters, using the recent event that took place in the Ahr Valley in July 2021 as an example. The applied methods is grounded in literature and comprehensively explained. The results along with limitations where applicable are well presented and discussed.
Given the manuscript's comprehensive insights, alongside the relevance and significance of its findings presented in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner, I believe it merits publication without further revisions. It offers valuable insights that are likely to influence public health policies and practices concerning disaster management and post-event mental health support.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-RC1 -
AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Marie-Luise Zenker, 16 May 2024
Dear Reviewer,
thank you for taking the time and effort to review the manuscript. We are very happy with the positive evaluation, which does not propose further revisions.
Kind regards on behalf of all authors,
Marie-Luise Zenker
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-AC2
-
AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Marie-Luise Zenker, 16 May 2024
-
RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-725', Anonymous Referee #2, 06 May 2024
Specific Comments & Technical Corrections:
- "Ahr Valley" could be clarified as "the Ahr Valley" for consistency and clarity.
- In "i.e., in June/July 2022", consider replacing "i.e." with "specifically", as it's not introducing an alternative term but specifying the timeframe.
- "The survey utilized a short epidemiological screening scale to determine the prevalence of people who show indications of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." - This sentence could be rephrased for clarity and flow: "The survey employed a short epidemiological screening scale to assess the prevalence of individuals showing indications of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."
- Consider specifying the name or source of the screening scale used for transparency and reproducibility of the study.
- In "Our findings reveal significant mental health issues one year after the flood event: 28.2% of the respondents show indications of PTSD." - Consider rephrasing for clarity: "Our findings indicate significant mental health issues one year after the flood event, with 28.2% of respondents showing indications of PTSD."
- "Furthermore, this study has uncovered essential risk factors for developing indications of PTSD after flooding" - Consider revising for clarity and conciseness: "Additionally, the study identified key risk factors associated with developing PTSD symptoms following flooding."
- "As a result, care methods should be adapted to tackle the prevalence and risk factors connected with PTSD in the affected population." - Consider specifying what specific adaptations are recommended for care methods.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-RC2 -
AC1: 'Reply on RC2', Marie-Luise Zenker, 16 May 2024
Thank you for taking the time and effort to review the manuscript. We sincerely appreciate all valuable comments and suggestions, which helped us to improve our manuscript.
Kind regards on behalf of all authors,
Marie-Luise Zenker
We address below the comments (in italics) raised and explain in our detailed point-by-point response how we will address these in a revised version of our manuscript.
1. "Ahr Valley" could be clarified as "the Ahr Valley" for consistency and clarity.
The term “the Ahr Valley” is consistently implemented throughout the revised manuscript.
2. In "i.e., in June/July 2022", consider replacing "i.e." with "specifically", as it's not introducing an alternative term but specifying the timeframe.
We thank you for this comment. We will change the sentence for clarity according to the suggestion.
3. "The survey utilized a short epidemiological screening scale to determine the prevalence of people who show indications of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." - This sentence could be rephrased for clarity and flow: "The survey employed a short epidemiological screening scale to assess the prevalence of individuals showing indications of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)."
We appreciate the suggestion and will change the sentence accordingly.
4. Consider specifying the name or source of the screening scale used for transparency and reproducibility of the study.
Thank you for this comment. The epidemiological short-screening scale we used has no generally accepted name or abbreviation, and since it is unusual/unpractical to include references in the abstract, we prefer not to do so. In the method section of our manuscript, we explain which screening tool we used exactly.
5. In "Our findings reveal significant mental health issues one year after the flood event: 28.2% of the respondents show indications of PTSD." - Consider rephrasing for clarity: "Our findings indicate significant mental health issues one year after the flood event, with 28.2% of respondents showing indications of PTSD."
Thank you for this comment. We will change the sentence according to the suggestion.
6. "Furthermore, this study has uncovered essential risk factors for developing indications of PTSD after flooding" - Consider revising for clarity and conciseness: "Additionally, the study identified key risk factors associated with developing PTSD symptoms following flooding."
We will change the sentence as suggested.
7. "As a result, care methods should be adapted to tackle the prevalence and risk factors connected with PTSD in the affected population." - Consider specifying what specific adaptations are recommended for care methods.
Thank you for this comment. We will include an example related to our findings. We suggest providing targeted aftercare for individuals who were injured or became sick during the flood event, as this is a significant risk factor identified in our study.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-725-AC1
Peer review completion
Journal article(s) based on this preprint
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Marie-Luise Zenker
Philip Bubeck
Annegret H. Thieken
The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.
- Preprint
(826 KB) - Metadata XML