The course of postdisaster psychiatric disorders in directly exposed civilians after the US Embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya: a follow-up study

While disasters are common in Africa, disaster studies in Africa are underrepresented in the published literature. This study
prospectively examined the longitudinal course of psychopathology, coping, and functioning among 128 directly exposed Kenyan
civilian survivors of the 1998 US Embassy bombing in Nairobi.

The Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement assessed predisaster and postdisaster psychiatric disorders and variables
related to coping, functioning, safety, and religion near the end of the first and third postdisaster years.

Total postdisaster prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the 3-year follow-up was 49; 28 % of the sample still
had active PTSD. Delayed-onset PTSD was not observed. Posttraumatic symptoms decayed more slowly in individuals with than
those without PTSD. PTSD was more prevalent and chronic than major depression. Those with current PTSD or major depression
reported more functioning problems than those without. The length of hospitalization for injuries after the bombing predicted
major depression remission, but no predictors of PTSD remission were found.

Despite differences in coping and social variables, longitudinal psychopathology in the Nairobi terrorism survivors appeared
broadly similar to results in Western disaster populations. These findings contribute to the understanding of disaster mental
health in Africa and may have implications for generalizability of psychiatric effects of terrorist attacks around the globe.