Post-traumatic Stress Reactions in Children after two large Earthquakes in Iceland

Abstract

Bödvarsdóttir, Í., Elklit, A. & Gudmundsdottir, D.B. Post-traumatic Stress Reactions in Children after two large Earthquakes in Iceland. Nordic Psychology, 58, 91–107. The aim of the study was to explore the psychological consequences of two earthquakes in Iceland in two probability samples of children aged 10–15 years (67 exposed and 73 non- exposed). Three months after the earthquakes, children answered demographic questions, stressor questions, and completed the Child Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS-RI), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC) and the Crisis Support Scale (CSS). Thirty-three percent of the exposed group and 6% of the control group fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Experiences of great horror during the earthquake and thoughts about future earthquakes explained 49% of the variance in PTSD. Wish for relocation, arousal, and avoidance symptoms predicted psychological distress, as measured by the TSC total score, explaining 65% of the variance. The exposed children reported more emotional support than controls immediately after the earthquake, but not at three months post earthquake. Exposed children who did not receive crisis intervention but reported that they would have wanted it had significantly more PTSD symptoms than all other groups, suggesting that all exposed children should be offered crisis intervention and receive continuous attention from adults even after a moderate disaster. Key words: Earthquake, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychological symptoms, social support.