Abstract
Few longitudinal studies have focused on mental health problems among adolescents after earthquakes. We investigated changes in post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms from 18 to 31 months after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal and explored potential risk factors associated with the change in psychiatric symptoms. This study comprised of 515 adolescents, aged 11–17 years from two earthquake-affected areas, one severely affected than the other. The psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the standardized Child Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Scale and the Depression Self-Rating Scale. No significant change was observed in the prevalence of PTSS and depressive symptoms from 18 to 31 months after the earthquake. Living in severely affected area and exposure to trauma after the earthquake were associated with adolescents who developed chronic or delayed PTSS and depressive symptoms. The study findings highlight the need for disaster preparedness and early interventions that strengthen support at various levels.
Highlights
About 70% of individuals are exposed to traumatic events in their lifetime, and 7% experience natural disasters[1]
The findings demonstrated that adolescents experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms after the earthquake and the prevalence rates of both symptoms were higher in adolescents living in a severely affected area
The findings showed that adolescents living in a severely affected area had increased risk for psychiatric symptoms at 31-months follow up and those developing delayed and chronic PTSS or depressive symptoms
Summary
About 70% of individuals are exposed to traumatic events in their lifetime, and 7% experience natural disasters[1]. Like other traumas, have shown to increase negative outcomes to mental health; most commonly reported are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression [2,3,4]. Numerous studies have shown an increased risk for psychiatric disorders even after years of exposure to natural disasters [10, 11]. A study by Lai et al [13] showed 7.0% of children with PTS and 11.0% with depression 15 months post-Hurricane Ike. Most longitudinal studies among adolescents after natural disasters indicated a gradual decline of psychiatric disorders over time [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21]; persistence of symptoms was reported in some
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