Abstract
BackgroundMental health issues can reach epidemic proportions in developed countries after natural disasters, but research is needed to better understand the impact on children and adolescents in developing nations.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed to examine the relationship between earthquake exposures and depression, PTSD, and resilience among children and adolescents in Phulpingdanda village in Nepal, 1 year after the 2015 earthquakes, using the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children, Child PTSD Symptom Scale, and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, respectively. To quantify exposure, a basic demographic and household questionnaire, including an earthquake exposure assessment tool for children and adolescents, was created.ResultsOf the 62 respondents interviewed, 3.23% and 4.84% displayed symptomatology of depression and PTSD. A large number of respondents interviewed scored high for resiliency (80.65%). All 62 respondents were displaced from their household and witnessed severe damage of both their homes and village. The number of earthquake exposures had a strong, positive correlation with PTSD symptomatology.ConclusionsAlthough the number of respondents who showed signs of depression and PTSD symptomatology was lower than anticipated, resilience scores were considerably higher. Future research should explore which protective factors may contribute to high resiliency in Nepali children and adolescents.
Highlights
Mental health issues can reach epidemic proportions in developed countries after natural disasters, but research is needed to better understand the impact on children and adolescents in developing nations
Studying the aftermath in hard-hit countries like Nepal after the 2015 earthquakes is key to a better understanding of the mental health outcomes that can result from disaster in an already struggling nation
In order to better understand the impact on different age groups, data were analyzed separately for children and adolescents, age 8–17, and adults, age 18–85
Summary
Mental health issues can reach epidemic proportions in developed countries after natural disasters, but research is needed to better understand the impact on children and adolescents in developing nations. The initial actions of an emergency response team are to provide for basic human needs and begin the search and rescue process. Developed nations and economically advantaged communities have the ability to respond to disaster somewhat efficiently, which may lessen the negative impact on health. On April 25, 2015, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck much of South Asia, majorly impacting the country of Nepal. Studying the aftermath in hard-hit countries like Nepal after the 2015 earthquakes is key to a better understanding of the mental health outcomes that can result from disaster in an already struggling nation. Prior research has shown up to 25% of PTSD cases are not observed clinically until 12 months after the event [20]
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