Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake in China

Abstract

PTSD symptoms changed gradually at various stages after the earthquake. Depression symptoms were predictive of PTSD symptoms in the 18-month follow-up study. Other predictors of PTSD symptoms included female gender and being a child with siblings. The results of this study may be helpful for further mental health interventions for adolescents after earthquakes.

Prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms among child survivors 1 year following the Wenchuan earthquake in China

“…Among these risk factors, pre-existing child characteristics (e.g., gender, age, and prior exposure to traumatic events) have been well studied. Many studies found that girl survivors of disasters had a greater risk than boy survivors to develop PTSD and depressive symptoms [8,[17][18][19], although some studies did not find significant gender differences [18,20]. With regard to the association between age and PTSD symptoms, the results have been inconsistent across studies.…”

“…With regard to the association between age and PTSD symptoms, the results have been inconsistent across studies. Some studies indicated that age was not significantly related with PTSD after traumatic events [19,21], whereas other studies showed that older children had more severe symptoms than did younger children [4,22,23]. In a recent meta-analysis, Trickey et al [16] concluded that age's main effect was close to zero, but it may play a moderating role in the relationship between gender and PTSD.…”

“…Those individuals with greater exposure usually have higher levels of PTSD and general psychopathology [28,29]. For example, previous studies indicated that PTSD and depressive symptoms were associated with severe house damage [19,30,31] and death of family members [23]. Even more important than objective elements of traumatic events were individual's subjective experiences (e.g., the perception of threat and fear) in determining posttraumatic response [32].…”

<i>PCSK9</i> rs7552841 is associated with plasma lipids profiles in female Chinese adolescents without posttraumatic stress disorder

“…As reported before (25), the population was from a boarding high school after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The devastating earthquake occurred in the afternoon of 12 May 2008, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale and led to 69,227 deaths, 17,923 missing and 374,643 injured.…”

“…The present study was to test the hypothesis. In fact, we had a population of high school students experiencing the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, which we had explored the PTSD characteristics in 2008 and 2009, and reported them (25). We also had measured the plasma lipids profiles after sampling in 2008 (26).…”