Adolescents’ Responses to the 2017 Puebla Earthquake in Mexico City

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a cross-sectional study on adolescents’ behavioral and emotional reactions during and immediately after the 2017 Puebla earthquake that occurred in Mexico City. Convenience sampling was used to achieve a sample size of n=362. Some of the key findings are as follows: a) some 57.0% of adolescent women and over 60.0% of men “ran out of the building” during the earthquake; only 17.4% of women and 14.2% of men took shelter. Early and late adolescent women were significantly associated with building “evacuation” immediately after the earthquake. b) Early and late adolescent men were “surprised” by the earthquake occurrence. c) The perceived vulnerability of the city (PVC) was significantly associated with men but not with women. d) Adolescents exhibited strong information-seeking behavior regarding seismic risk. The results of the study highlight a lack of adolescents’ preparedness for earthquakes in terms of the protective actions taken during the ground shaking and knowledge of the functioning of the Mexican seismic alert system. An educational program aimed at better educating and preparing adolescents for a seismic emergency should be implemented in preparatory schools.

Experiences of adolescents affected by earthquakes: A qualitative study

“…The majority of adolescents in our study expressed experiencing fear of death, panic, and a sense of helplessness during the earthquake. Similar results have been found in the literature (Newnham et al, 2019; Pine et al, 2015; Santos‐Reyes & Gouzeva, 2023). Studies often focus on what adolescents experience after major disasters like earthquakes (Dube et al, 2018; Navarro et al, 2016; Silwal et al, 2022).…”

“…Few studies explore adolescents describing the actual moment of the earthquake. Santos‐Reyes and Gouzeva (2023) noted that teenagers were surprised and panicked during the earthquake. In a study conducted in New Zealand, adolescents aged 16–18 exposed to significant earthquakes aimed to explore their views and thoughts.…”

“…Santos‐Reyes and Gouzeva (2023) found that during the 2017 earthquake in Mexico, over 57% of teenage girls and more than 60% of boys ran out of buildings during the earthquake. The study revealed that teenagers were not prepared for earthquakes, suggesting that earthquake preparedness training should be provided in schools (Santos‐Reyes & Gouzeva, 2023). Another study indicated that earthquake preparedness training and school‐based drills were valuable in developing mastery and coping skills for future disasters in China and Nepal (Newnham et al, 2019).…”

“…Another study indicated that earthquake preparedness training and school‐based drills were valuable in developing mastery and coping skills for future disasters in China and Nepal (Newnham et al, 2019). The literature suggests that earthquake preparedness training increases adolescents' awareness during disasters and contributes to disaster management (Newnham et al, 2019; Pine et al, 2015; Santos‐Reyes & Gouzeva, 2023). However, it is believed that the magnitude and duration of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, occurring successively and affecting a large area, increased fear in adolescents and negatively impacted decision‐making skills.…”

“…Another study indicated that earthquake preparedness training and school-based drills were valuable in developing mastery and coping skills for future disasters in China and Nepal (Newnham et al, 2019). The literature suggests that earthquake preparedness training increases adolescents' awareness during disasters and contributes to disaster management (Newnham et al, 2019;Pine et al, 2015;Santos-Reyes & Gouzeva, 2023).…”