Hurricane Katrina's Impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: General Self-Efficacy's Relationship to PTSD Prevalence and Severity

Hurricane Katrina survivors (N = 399) on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were surveyed to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general self-efficacy. As hypothesized, general self-efficacy was found to be inversely correlated with PTSD severity and prevalence, women reported greater PTSD severity and lower general self-efficacy, as compared with men, and hurricane impact was found to be positively correlated with PTSD severity and prevalence. Age was not significantly associated with general self-efficacy, PTSD severity, or PTSD prevalence, and sex was not found to be significantly related to PTSD prevalence. Hierarchical multiple regression and hierarchical logistic regression analyses further demonstrated the strong association between PTSD and general self-efficacy. Study limitations, research directions, and practical implications of the findings are discussed.