Not all trauma is the same

Abstract

In a recent Brief Report by Raker et al. (1), the investigators analyze data from a prospective study of young, low-income mothers who survived Hurricane Katrina and apply this to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to discuss strategies to mitigate the pandemic’s indirect effects on survivors. We appreciate the comparison made, but it is slightly contrived for several reasons. First, natural disasters generally refer to catastrophic occurrences of atmospheric, geologic, and hydrologic origins; as such, pandemics are not “natural disasters” per se and more a result of social, microbial, and other ecological factors. Apart from the issue of typology, the … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: ng.qin.xiang{at}u.nus.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

Topics & Concepts