Abstract
BackgroundNatural disasters, both expected and unexpected, usually cause widespread injuries and destruction with a large number of survivors, including children. Several studies have shown that children may develop posttraumatic stress disorder after exposure to disasters such as an earthquake.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the screening abilities of the University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Index for DSM-IV (Revision 1) (UCLA PTSD for DSM-IV) among Iranian school-aged children.Patients and MethodsTwenty months after the Qeshm Island 6.1-magnitude earthquake in 2008, we screened 50 students aged between 7 and 12 years for posttraumatic stress disorder using the UCLA PTSD INDEX for DSM-IV. A Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV criteria was used as the gold standard.ResultsThe internal consistency for all the scales was good and Cronbach’s coefficient for the overall items was 0.76. The sensitivity of this questionnaire was high (0.96), while its specificity was moderate (0.50).ConclusionsThe study findings showed that the Iranian version of UCLA PTSD Index for DS-MIV-R was appropriate for screening PTSD in children.
Highlights
Natural disasters, both expected and unexpected, usually cause widespread injuries and destruction with a large number of survivors, including children
Since 1987 when the diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was extended to children and adolescents in DSM-III, different methods have been developed for identifying children's reaction to traumatic events [2]
The current study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of UCLA PTSD Index for DSM-IV questionnaire in a sample of Iranian PTSD children
Summary
Both expected and unexpected, usually cause widespread injuries and destruction with a large number of survivors, including children. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the screening abilities of the University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Index for DSM-IV (Revision 1) (UCLA PTSD for DSM-IV) among Iranian school-aged children. Patients and Methods: Twenty months after the Qeshm Island 6.1-magnitude earthquake in 2008, we screened 50 students aged between 7 and 12 years for posttraumatic stress disorder using the UCLA PTSD INDEX for DSM-IV. School-aged children exhibit more PTSD symptoms and have a greater understanding of traumatic experiences [4] This is due to their higher level of cognitive development compared to preschoolers. Fear of going to sleep or being alone, sleep disturbance, clinging to others, and eventspecific fears have been reported, as well[5, 8] Traumatic play, at this age, is more sophisticated and includes
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