The development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe weather phobia (SWP) symptoms in relation to weather-related trauma was examined. Participants were college students (N = 815) enrolled at Mississippi State University. Findings suggest that distinct factors (specifically, disorder-specific cognitions and anxiety sensitivity) contribute to the development of PTSD and in the onset of SWP symptoms following exposure to weather-related trauma. A weather trauma model taking into account disorder-specific cognitive vulnerabilities, previous exposure to weather-related trauma, and levels of anxiety sensitivity is suggested to provide an explanation for these differences. The results suggest that prevention and treatment efforts should address learned fear response, aim at reducing anxiety sensitivity, and target disorder-specific cognitions.

The current study examined the prevalence of severe weather phobia in high school students who had experienced a traumatic weather event and considered possible predictor variables to distinguish between students who did and did not develop severe weather phobia after experiencing the traumatic weather event. Participants (N = 17) completed a diagnostic interview and various questionnaires. Severe weather phobia symptoms (e.g., excessive fear, avoidance, anticipatory anxiety, realization that fear is excessive, distress or dysfunction) were common in the sample. Higher levels of PTSD symptoms and certain coping styles distinguished between those with phobia or subclinical phobia and those without, indicating that traumatic responses to severe weather and coping with severe weather by using social support or restraint predicts the development of severe weather phobia.

Because extreme weather events are relatively common in the Southeastern U.S., and the current treatments for phobias can be time-consuming and costly, it is important to find an effective early intervention program for those individuals who are at risk of developing severe weather phobia (SWP). Participants (N = 12) were randomly assigned to the experimental or modified control condition. Participants from both conditions participated in the therapist-aided self-help early intervention program. However, the modified control condition completed posttest measures approximately 3 weeks after baseline, before beginning the intervention. The intervention was most effective at reducing subjective fear and avoidance behavior related to severe weather events. Additionally, participants’ subjective views of their fears were no longer categorized as excessive, or unreasonable, nor did they avoid or endure severe weather with intense anxiety or distress after the three-week early intervention.