Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-20T20:08:47.140Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Its Correlates Among Junior High School Students at 53 Months After Experiencing an Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2018

Qiaolan Liu ,
Min Jiang ,
Yang Yang ,
Huan Zhou ,
Yanyang Zhou ,
Min Yang ,
Huanyu Xu  and
Yuanyi Ji
Qiaolan Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Health-Related Social and Behavioral Science, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Liu, Yang, Zhou, Xu, and Ms Ji);
Min Jiang
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Dr Jiang);
Yang Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Health-Related Social and Behavioral Science, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Liu, Yang, Zhou, Xu, and Ms Ji);
Huan Zhou
Affiliation:
Department of Health-Related Social and Behavioral Science, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Liu, Yang, Zhou, Xu, and Ms Ji);
Yanyang Zhou
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Yang and Zhou);
Min Yang*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Yang and Zhou); School of Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology, Victory, Australia (Dr Yang)
Huanyu Xu
Affiliation:
Department of Health-Related Social and Behavioral Science, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Liu, Yang, Zhou, Xu, and Ms Ji);
Yuanyi Ji
Affiliation:
Department of Health-Related Social and Behavioral Science, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China (Drs Liu, Yang, Zhou, Xu, and Ms Ji);
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Min Yang, Department of Health Policy and Management, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China 610041 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

To identify the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its determinants among adolescents more than 4 years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

Method

Adolescents (1,125 total) from 2 junior high schools in areas affected by the catastrophic earthquake were followed up for 3 years. The self-rating PTSD scale based on the Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) and the Chinese Classification and Diagnostic Criteria of Mental Disorders, 2nd Edition, Revised (CCMD-2-R) was collected at 53 months, and determinant data were collected repeatedly. Logistic regression was used for a determinants analysis.

Results

The prevalence of overall PTSD was 23.4% among the sample. The risk factors for PTSD were older age (OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.20~1.92), and death or injury of a family member in the earthquake (OR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.09~2.37). Adolescents who had moderate-to-severe common mental health problems were more likely to have PTSD symptoms, with ORs from 3.98 to 17.67 (All P<0.05). Self-esteem remained a protective factor for PTSD regardless of age, whereas positive coping was a protective factor for PTSD when adolescents were older.

Conclusion

PTSD symptoms among adolescent survivors of a catastrophic earthquake seemed to persist over time. Long-term interventions are needed to alleviate PTSD symptoms among adolescent survivors. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:414-418)

Keywords

adolescentcommon mental health problemearthquakeposttraumatic stress disorderprevalence
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 414 - 418
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Blanc, J, Bui, E, Mouchenik, Y, et al. Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in two groups of children one year after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. J Affect Disord. 2014;172C:121-126. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.09.055.Google Scholar
2. Goenjian, AK, Walling, D, Steinberg, AM, et al. A prospective study of posttraumatic stress and depressive reactions among treated and untreated adolescents 5 years after a catastrophic disaster. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162(12):2302-2308. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.12.2302.Google Scholar
3. Tang, G, Guo, L, Huang, X. An epidemiological study on mental problems in adolescents in Chengdu China. Chin J Epidemiol. 2005;26(11):878–881.Google Scholar
4. Alisic, E, Zalta, AK, Wesel, F van, et al. Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed children and adolescents: meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry. 2014;204(5):335-340. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.113.131227.Google Scholar
5. Mann, M, Hosman, CMH, Schaalma, HP, de Vries, NK. Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health promotion. Health Educ Res. 2004;19(4):357–372. doi:10.1093/her/cyg041.Google Scholar
6. Fan, F, Zhang, Y, Yang, Y, et al. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety among adolescents following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China. J Trauma Stress. 2011;24(1):44-53. doi:10.1002/jts.20599.Google Scholar
7. Liu, X, Ma, D, Liu, L, et al. Development of the post-traumatic stress disorder self-rating scale and its reliability and validity. Chin J Behav Med Sci. 1998;7(2):93–96. doi:CNKI:SUN:ZGXX.0.1998-02-005.Google Scholar
8. Wang, J. The preparation and standardization for Mental Health Inventory of Middle School Students (MMHI-60) in China. Sci Soc Psychol. 1997;4(14):15-20.Google Scholar
9. Goenjian, AK, Karayan, I, Pynoos, RS, et al. Outcome of psychotherapy among early adolescents after trauma. Am J Psychiatry. 1997;154(4):536-542. doi:10.1176/ajp.154.4.536.Google Scholar
10. Zhang, W, Liu, H, Jiang, X, et al. A longitudinal study of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and its relationship with coping skill and locus of control in adolescents after an earthquake in China. PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e88263. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088263.Google Scholar