| This study investigated the feasibility and possible benefits of implementing a disaster framework to examine the impact of the 2008-2009 economic meltdown on psychological distress in the United States. A nationally representative probability sample of U.S. residents (N = 975) completed a Web-based survey annually beginning in 2006. Predictors of distress were drawn from epidemiological and social ecological perspectives that consider both macro- and individual-level variables. Macro-level predictors include changes in market indices, while individual-level predictors include job stress and financial hardship, among others. Direct and indirect correlates of distress were also compared. While four dimensions of distress (depression, anxiety, somatization, and global distress) were analyzed, due to high intercorrelations between the subscales, only global distress was retained in the final model. Predictors of indirect exposure were also explored. Results suggested that the economic meltdown impacted global and specific distress by both indirect and direct means. A disaster framework may be appropriate to study the 2008-2009 economic meltdown and possibly other forms of societal turbulence not typically conceptualized as disasters. Practical and theoretical implications are considered. |
