Moderating Effects of a Postdisaster Intervention on Risk and Resilience Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Chinese Children

Abstract

This study is an evaluation of a psychosocial intervention involving child and adolescent survivors of the 2008 Sichuan China earthquake. Sociodemographics, earthquake-related risk exposure, resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using the UCLA-PTSD Index were collected from 1,988 intervention participants and 2,132 controls. Mean resilience scores and the odds of PTSD did not vary between groups. The independent factors for risk and resilience and the dependent variable, PTSD, in the measurement models between control and intervention groups were equivalent. The structural model of risk and 2 resilience factors on PTSD was examined and found to be unequivalent between groups. In contrast to controls, risk exposure (B = −0.32, p <.001) in the intervention group was negatively associated with PTSD. Rational thinking (B = −0.48, p < .001), a resilience factor, was more negatively associated with PTSD in the intervention group. The second resilience factor explored, self-awareness, was positively associated with PTSD in both groups (B = 0.46 for controls, p < .001, and B = 0.69 for intervention, p < .001). Results highlight the need for more cross-cultural research in resilience theory to develop culturally appropriate interventions and evaluation measures.