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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology in People affected by Home Eviction in Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2017

Humbelina Robles-Ortega
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Pedro Guerra
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Isis González-Usera
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
José Luis Mata-Martín
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
M. Carmen Fernández-Santaella
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Jaime Vila*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Julia Bolívar-Muñoz
Affiliation:
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública (EASP)(Spain)
Mariola Bernal-Solano
Affiliation:
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública (EASP)(Spain)
Inmaculada Mateo-Rodríguez
Affiliation:
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública (EASP)(Spain)
Antonio Daponte-Codina
Affiliation:
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública (EASP)(Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jaime Vila. Faculty of Psychology. University of Granada. Campus La Cartuja s/n. 18071. Granada (Spain). Email: jvila@ugr.es

Abstract

Despite the higher proportion of foreclosures and home evictions executed in Spain, compared to other countries, and the known link between social exclusion and mental health problems, studies exploring this association in Spain remain scarce. This study investigated the link between the process of home eviction and the appearance of symptomatology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Two hundred and five people affected by the process of home eviction were assessed using a structured interview that included three validated assessment instruments for PTSD, perceived stress, anxiety and depression. Analysis involved comparison with the normative groups that formed the validation studies together with regression analysis to determine the major psychological and socio-demographic predictors of perceived stress. Of the participants, 95.1% reported that they were experiencing the process of home eviction with fear, helplessness, or horror. In PTSD symptomatology, they scored higher than the normative PTSD group in symptoms of avoidance (t = 5.01; p < .05), activation (t = 5.48; p < .01), and total score (t = 4.15; p < .05). Of this subgroup, 72.5% fulfilled the DSM-IV symptom criteria for PTSD. The major predictor of perceived stress was PTSD symptomatology (B = .09; p < .001). The process of home eviction in Spain is having an alarming impact on mental health of affected people calling for effective measures to provide psychological and social support.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2017 

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Footnotes

We thank Stop-Eviction representatives in Granada their availability and assistance to facilitate the study. We also thank the volunteer collaboration of the professionals and students who have helped to its completion.

How to cite this article:

Robles-Ortega, H., Guerra, P., González-Usera, I., Mata-Martín, J. L., Fernández-Santaella, M. C., Vila, J., Bolívar-Muñoz, J., Bernal-Solano, M., Mateo-Rodríguez, I., & Daponte-Codina, A. (2017). Post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology in people affected by home eviction in Spain. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 20. e57. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2017.56

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