Psychiatry 68(2) Summer 2005 164 Differentiating Posttraumatic Stress Between Elderly and Younger Residents Man Cheung Chung, Ian Dennis, Yvette Easthope, Steven Farmer, and Julie Werrett This study aimed to differentiate between the posttraumatic stress responses of elderly and younger community residents who had been exposed to two technologi- cal disasters (a train collision and an aircraft crash). One hundred and forty-eight community residents were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The results showed that age differences were not affected by impact of disaster (IES), suggesting that elderly and younger community residents responded to the disasters similarly. Instead, the community residents exposed to the aircraft crash experienced significantly more intrusion and avoidance than those exposed to the train collision. Also, the community residents who had experienced high exposure to the disasters had significantly more intrusive thoughts and exhibited significantly more avoidance behavior than the low/medium exposure group. The results also showed no main effects in general health between the elderly and younger community residents, suggesting that their health status was similar. Instead, the community residents exposed to the aircraft crash had significantly more general health problems than the train disaster residents and the control group. Also, the community residents in either the low/medium or the high exposure group experienced more general health problems than the control group. Correlation coefficients showed that intrusion, avoidance, and the total impact of the disasters were significantly correlated with all general health subscales for both elderly and younger groups. INTRODUCTION The limited studies which do look at this area pay little attention to the differences in post- traumatic stress responses between elderly and In disaster research to date, little is known regarding the posttraumatic stress re- younger people, presuming that they would react to traumatic events in a similar fashion sponses of elderly people in the community, as non-patient samples, who have been ex- (Hyman, 1997; Weintraub & Ruskin, 1999). However, a recent survey which was based on posed to a recent traumatic event (Kahana, 1992), in particular, a technological disaster a review of the empirical literature from 1981 to 2001 revealed that adults of different ages such as a train collision or an aircraft crash. Man Cheung Chung, PhD, and Ian Dennis, PhD, are affiliated with the University of Plymouth. Yvette Easthope, BSc, is with the University of Manchester, Steven Farmer, BSc, is with the University of Wolverhampton, and Julie Werrett, BSc, is with the University of Birmingham. Address correspondence to Dr. M. C. Chung, School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom; E-mail: m.chung@plymouth.ac.uk