Survey of psychiatric disorders in a Taiwanese village population six months after a major earthquake.
OBJECTIVE
The catastrophic Chi-Chi earthquake of September 21, 1999 in Taiwan provided a unique opportunity to study the disaster's psychiatric impact on survivors. This study assessed the development of psychiatric disorders among residents in a Taiwanese village near the epicenter of the earthquake within 6 months of the disaster.


METHODS
A total of 442 of the 602 actual living residents of Tong-Chi village who were over 16 years of age and were present in the community at the time of the earthquake were included in this population survey. Subjects were interviewed by psychiatrists using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and questionnaires to collect demographic information and risk factors for psychiatric disorders 4 to 6 months after the earthquake.


RESULTS
The prevalence rates were 9.5% for current major depression, 2.8% for past major depressive episode, and 7.9% for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Females had significantly higher rates of most psychiatric disorders. After controlling for covariates, the significant risk factors for PTSD were female gender and having sought medical service after the earthquake. Significant risk factors for major depressive episode were divorced/widowed status, education level equal to or below primary school, and prominent house damage.


CONCLUSIONS
This population survey of earthquake disaster survivors found an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders after exposure to a catastrophic earthquake. These results highlight the need for prompt therapeutic attention to residents of earthquake disaster areas after the event.
Chou
Frank Huang-Chih
FH
Community Medicine Research Center and Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Su
Tom Tung-Ping
TT
Chou
Pesus
P
Ou-Yang
Wen-Chen
WC
Lu
Ming-Kun
MK
Chien
I-Chia
IC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology