Does a disaster worsen anxiety when you are already anxious? Psychological consequences following exposure to a M7.1 earthquake in an outpatient anxiety disorder population

Examines the effects of the 2010 Darfield earthquake on outpatients attending a specialist anxiety disorder service, who had a diagnosis of at least one primary anxiety disorder at the time of the disaster. Investigates the relationships between pre-earthquake psychopathology (i.e., anxiety and depression), distress during the earthquake (i.e.,peritraumatic distress), psychopathology following the event (i.e., anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms), and impairment following the event. Evaluates the relationship between personality and post-earthquake psychopathology, as well as situational factors including support immediately following the earthquake, perceived threat of the earthquake/aftershocks, and concern over the uncontrollable nature of the earthquake/aftershocks Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.