PTSD and Depression 8 Years After the 2004 Tsunami in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate prevalence and risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among directly exposed (DE) and indirectly or nonexposed (INE) populations in Sri Lanka 8 y after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. Methods: Population-based structured survey study was conducted among Sri Lankan adults living in 5 coastal districts, Hamboantha, Matara, Galle, Kalutara, and Colombo in 2012-2013. A total of 430 individuals, 325 in DE, 105 in INE, participated in the survey. DE and INE groups were compared for demographics and outcomes. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions with backward selection were used to identify risk factors for partial PTSD and depression. Results: The prevalence of PTSD, partial PTSD and depression were 2.8%, 10.5%, and 18.8% in DE group, respectively. In multivariable analyses tsunami exposure, female gender, subjective physical health before the tsunami, previous trauma, and depression were significantly associated with partial PTSD. Female gender, high frequency of religious activity, previous trauma, social support, and PTSD were significantly associated with depression. Conclusions: The psychological impacts of the tsunami did wane over time, but still present at lower rate even in 8 y. It is important to address these lingering sequelae and expand access to at risk individuals.

Association of Optimism, Causal Thinking, and Karma Beliefs with PTSD and Depression 8 Years After the Tsunami in Sri Lanka

“…Our physical health outcome consisted of poor self-reported health, which was evaluated with a single question on the scale of 1 (excellent), 2 (very good), 3 (good), 4 (fair), and 5 (poor). Poor health was dichotomized as choosing 5 (poor current health) or choosing 1-4 (non-poor current health), consistent with our previous studies (Levy et al, 2009;Ranasinghe et al, 2022).…”

“…Multiple regression models were further used to examine the association after adjusting for the covariates. The covariates were selected based on the initial analysis of the survey and their predictive effects on outcomes from literature (Ranasinghe et al, 2022). P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.…”

“…The study population included 430 adults over 16 years of age from the five coastal districts, Hambanthota, Matara, Galle, Kalutara, and Colombo. Demographic characteristics of the study population were described in detail in our previous paper (Ranasinghe et al, 2022). Briefly, the study population had a mean of 46.4 (SD 16.0) years of age, was 65.3% female.…”

“…Eight years post-tsunami (2012), we found that the negative psychological impact remains, albeit attenuated. We carried out another cross-sectional survey study among Sri Lanka coastal residents which revealed that the prevalence of partial PTSD and depression were 10.5% and 18.8% among those who were directly exposed to the tsunami, while the corresponding prevalence was 1% and 11.4% among those who were indirectly or not exposed (Ranasinghe et al, 2022). Similarly, studies have shown the long-term prevalence of anxiety, depression and PTSD after the 2004 tsunami in Thailand and India (Kar et al, 2013;Piyasil et al, 2011).…”

Comorbid trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and depressive symptoms in a 10-year cohort of Chinese Wenchuan earthquake survivors: Course, predictors, and consequences.

“…In the present study, we explored individual, exposure-related, and postdisaster factors that may affect mental health postdisasters (Gordon-Hollingsworth et al, 2018; Tang et al, 2014). First, preexisting individual characteristics, such as age, gender, and trait resilience, were associated with PTSD and/or depression (Adams et al, 2014; Ranasinghe et al, 2023). Second, we incorporated factors pertaining to the degree of traumatic exposure that has proven critical for the development of PTSD and/or depression (Adams et al, 2014; Qi et al, 2020).…”