Abstract
Background Beyond the immediate physical consequences of the disaster, trauma exposure may cause lasting mental health problems especially in young people. Aim The objective of this study was to investigate the trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and the association between trauma exposure and PTSS among the adolescents in Salawa area, who were exposed to the explosion that took place on 5 th June 2016 at the ammunition dump of Salawa army camp. Methodology A cross sectional study was conducted eight months after the explosion, among all adolescents in the Salawa ammunition dump area. A self-administered screening instrument was used to assess the nature of the exposure to the blast. The University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (UCLA PTSD-RI) was used to measure the cumulative trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results A total of 108 adolescents (68.4% females), with a mean age of 14.3 (SD=2.12) were included in the survey. Diagnostic criterion for full and partial PTSD was met by 34.2% and 37.0% of the participants, respectively. The occurrence of PTSD was significantly associated with the severity of the ammunition blast (b=3.31, p p Conclusions There was a relatively high prevalence of PTSD among the adolescents exposed to the blast. Psychological support is needed for these adolescents, and further research is recommended to conduct evidence based interventions in this posttrauma setting.
Highlights
The questionnaire consisted of four sections, which examined demographic data, the nature of the ammunition blast exposure, history of previous trauma exposures and PTSD symptoms
Independent variables age, Posttraumatic stress disorder among adolescents exposed to the ammunition depot blast at Salawa, Sri Lanka gender and age by gender interaction were entered in the first step since these variables have been previously identified by other studies as predictors of trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms severity (PTSS)
This study describes the prevalence of PTSD among adolescents, eight months after an ammunition blast in the Salawa area, and explores possible associations between blast exposure and development of PTSD symptoms
Summary
This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Salawa public health midwife (PHM) division, an area that was significantly affected by the Salawa military ammunition depot blast. Category A of the PTSDRI explores exposure to traumatic events This tool measures the experiences of adolescent to 13 different traumas, via 1=yes or 0=no responses. The questionnaire consisted of four sections, which examined demographic data, the nature of the ammunition blast exposure, history of previous trauma exposures and PTSD symptoms. Independent variables age, Posttraumatic stress disorder among adolescents exposed to the ammunition depot blast at Salawa, Sri Lanka gender (dummy-coded) and age by gender interaction were entered in the first step since these variables have been previously identified by other studies as predictors of trauma exposure and PTSS. A majority (98.1%) described the Salawa ammunition blast as the worst traumatic experience in their life
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