Analysis of symptom checklist 90 of relief crew during critical period after Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province

Abstract

To investigate the psychological features of relief crew in critical period after Wenchuan earthquake and to improve their mental health. On May 12 of 2008, severe earthquake of a magnitude of 8.0 on Richter scale occurred in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province of China. Within 20 days after the earthquake, a research group conducted a study of psychological features of 600 relief crew with symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90), and the general symptom index and factorial scores were compared with Chinese norm (results from 1 388 personnel, published in 1986) and army norm (results from 19,662 servicemen, published in 1999). The positive items were measured and the relative factors were evaluated. (1) In the critical period after the earthquake, the relief workers had lower general symptomatic index than Chinese normal personnel or normal servicemen (both P<0.01). (2) Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (factorial score: 1.29+/-0.36) and somatization symptoms (factorial score: 1.22+/-0.29) were the main psychologic problems in this period. (3) Psychology of relief workers was correlated positively with working zones and education (r1=0.29, r2=0.15, both P<0.01), while negatively with working period (r=-0.28 , P<0.01). In immediate post-tremor period, the mental health of relief crew is predominantly fine, with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and somatization symptoms as outstanding mental disorders. Working zone, working period and education are main factors which affect their mental health.