Abstract
PurposeTo examine the relationship between negative life events, coping styles, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adolescent survivors exposed to 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, China.MethodsA survey was conducted in a sample of 2250 adolescent students from two schools in Dujiangyan District, a seriously damaged area, 20 kilometers away from the epicenter, 6 months after the earthquake. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire including demographics, negative life events, coping styles, and PTSD symptoms.ResultsAcademic pressure was the strongest predictor of adolescents' PTSD symptoms among all negative life events. Main effects of negative life events, positive coping and negative coping on PTSD symptoms were significant in both younger adolescents and older adolescents, while the moderator effects of two coping styles were found significant only within older adolescents.ConclusionsCoping may play a role to moderate the relationship between post-earthquake negative life events and PTSD symptom, but the function seems to depend on the age of participants. Psychosocial coping skills training may be important in the prevention and intervention of mental health problems in adolescent survivors of traumatic earthquake.
Highlights
A strong earthquake, with a Richter-scale magnitude of 8.0, hit Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province at 14:28 on May 12, 2008
A number of studies have examined the association between natural disasters and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Results showed that negative life events were significantly associated with PTSD symptoms after controlling for demographics and earthquake exposure
Summary
A strong earthquake, with a Richter-scale magnitude of 8.0, hit Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province at 14:28 on May 12, 2008. In a review of 225 studies [1], 166 studies reported that natural disasters were associated with elevated risks of PTSD or related symptoms. In the past few decades, there has been increasing concern regarding earthquake-related PTSD in juvenile population. Hsu et al [3] reported that 21.7% of 323 school students aged 12 to 14 had PTSD symptoms 6 weeks after the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan. Zhao et al [4] reported that the incidence of PTSD was 9.4% among adolescent victims 17 months after the 1998 Zhangbei earthquake in China. The variability of PTSD rates across studies could be attributed to differences in the nature and severity of the earthquake, the timing of the psychiatric assessment, and the instruments used in the study
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