Her friends helped her to get over her fear of the ocean. Now, Erin Santanello struggles to conquer that same angst two years after Sandy. Staff video by Tom Spader/Staff Photographer
Tom Spader, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

Nearly two years after superstorm Sandy, one in five storm victims continue to suffer from severe psychological stress, according to a new Monmouth University survey.

The Monmouth University Polling Institute interviewed 800 state residents who were most affected by Sandy about one year after the storm. More than 600 were re-interviewed in the past few months. The survey finds that little has changed in these survivors' mental health picture of the past year.

Twenty percent of those surveyed display severe distress, compared with 26% a year ago. Nearly half — 47% — continue to report symptoms of at least moderate distress, only slightly lower than the 50% who reported moderate distress last year.

Sandy survivors continue to exhibit signs of emotional stress at much higher rates than the population as a whole.

"Resilient individuals and families are able to maintain a sense of hope, and are able to identify the areas of their lives that they have control over and enact change," said Dr. Christine Hatchard, assistant professor of psychology and director of the Clinical Psychology Research Center at Monmouth University, West Long Branch. "However, the longer that environmental conditions remain poor, such as continuing to be displaced, resiliency, mental health and coping skills can decline."

The only group of Sandy survivors that shows significant improvement are those who were able to return to their homes. Among those who have moved back home, 50% show less psychological stress than a year ago.

"Getting people back in their homes is not a panacea for healing all the mental health concerns of Sandy survivors," said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth University's Polling Institute. "However, it's the biggest single positive factor we see in these results."

The survey also identified potential symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Sandy victims. About 22% of Sandy survivors showed signs which would indicate a provisional diagnosis of PTSD. Those who say they will never move back into their pre-Sandy home — 38% — are even more likely to exhibit provisional PTSD than the 27% who are planning to return to that home.

"Previous research suggests that post-traumatic stress disorder is the most prevalent mental disorder following other natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina," Hatchard said. "The rates of PTSD in our sample are high considering that the one-year prevalence of PTSD is only around 3.5% of the general population."

The Monmouth University Polling Institute conducted this Sandy Recovery Survey online and by telephone with 616 New Jersey residents who suffered significant damage to their primary home and participated in the tracking survey in both the first and second years of the study. Significant damage is defined as having more than one foot of water in the first floor or at least $8,000 in property damage.