Conséquences psychosociales de l’exposition à une catastrophe technologique à l’adolescence : l’exemple de la tragédie ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic

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BackgroundIn 2013, a train derailment in Lac-Megantic (Quebec, Canada) caused significant human and material losses. This study documents the consequences of exposure to this disaster on the psychosocial functioning of adolescents. MethodsThree and a half years after the tragedy, 689 students aged 12 to 18 completed a self-administered questionnaire at their school, for a response rate of 85.3%. The questionnaire included multiple choice questions designed to describe the sociodemographic, family, educational and social characteristics of the respondents as well as their psychological health. It was designed using scales or questions that were previously validated with young people during national surveys. ResultsThe study shows that teenagers exposed to such a disaster are more at risk of developing psychological health problems than their unexposed peers. Significantly, more students exposed to the train derailment than unexposed youth saw a decrease in the quality of life in their community (12.9%). They also scored significantly lower for their resilience and for three of the five resilience protection factors measured using the Resilience Factors Inventory (IFR – 40). They had more psychological difficulties, including manifestations of post-traumatic stress (15.6%). They also had suicide thoughts in the 12 months prior to the survey (38.9%) and had lower self-esteem compared to their unexposed peers. Finally, significantly more exposed teenagers reported personal, family and school difficulties due to their alcohol consumption. ConclusionThe study shows that in the long term after a technological disaster, teenagers who have been directly or indirectly exposed are more affected than their unexposed peers. In light of the results obtained, research must continue in order to guide professionals in setting up psychosocial interventions that adequately respond to the experiences and needs of these young people.