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Long-term psychological consequences among adolescent survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in China: A cross-sectional survey six years after the disaster.
- Source :
-
Journal of Affective Disorders . Nov2016, Vol. 204, p255-261. 7p. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>Most epidemiological studies on adolescent survivors' mental health have been conducted within 2 years after the disaster. Longer-term psychological consequences remain unclear. This study explored psychological symptoms in secondary school students who were living in Sichuan province 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake.<bold>Methods: </bold>A secondary data analysis was performed on data from a final survey of survivors conducted 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake as part of the five-year mental health and psychosocial support project. A total of 2641 participants were divided into three groups, according to the level of traumatic experience exposure during the earthquake (0, 1, and 2 or more). ANCOVA was used to compare the mean scores of the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) among the three groups, adjusting for covariates such as age, gender, ethnicity, having a sibling, parents' divorce, and socio-economic status. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify relationships between the traumatic experiences and suicidality after the disaster.<bold>Results: </bold>Having two or more kinds of traumatic experiences was associated with higher psychological symptom scores on the SCL-90 (Cohen's d=0.23-0.33) and suicidal ideation (OR 1.98, 95% CIs:1.35-2.89) and attempts (OR 3.32, 95% CIs:1.65-6.68), as compared with having no traumatic experience.<bold>Limitations: </bold>Causality cannot be inferred from this cross-sectional survey, and results may not generalize to other populations due to convenience sampling.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Severely traumatized adolescent survivors of the earthquake may suffer from psychological symptoms even 6 years after the disaster. Long-term psychological support will be needed for these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01650327
- Volume :
- 204
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 117835971
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.001