[Analysis of symptom checklist 90 of relief crew during critical period after Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the psychological features of relief crew in critical period after Wenchuan earthquake and to improve their mental health.


METHODS
On May 12 of 2008, severe earthquake of a magnitude of 8.0 on Richter scale occurred in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province of China. Within 20 days after the earthquake, a research group conducted a study of psychological features of 600 relief crew with symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90), and the general symptom index and factorial scores were compared with Chinese norm (results from 1 388 personnel, published in 1986) and army norm (results from 19,662 servicemen, published in 1999). The positive items were measured and the relative factors were evaluated.


RESULTS
(1) In the critical period after the earthquake, the relief workers had lower general symptomatic index than Chinese normal personnel or normal servicemen (both P<0.01). (2) Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (factorial score: 1.29+/-0.36) and somatization symptoms (factorial score: 1.22+/-0.29) were the main psychologic problems in this period. (3) Psychology of relief workers was correlated positively with working zones and education (r1=0.29, r2=0.15, both P<0.01), while negatively with working period (r=-0.28 , P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In immediate post-tremor period, the mental health of relief crew is predominantly fine, with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and somatization symptoms as outstanding mental disorders. Working zone, working period and education are main factors which affect their mental health.
Song
Kang-xing
KX
Department of Emergency Medicine, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
Feng
Li-jie
LJ
Shen
Hong
H
Tan
Yan
Y
Ma
Qiang
Q
Li
Wen-zhe
WZ
Wang
Yong
Y
Liu
Hui-long
HL
Mao
Ping
P
Hu
Qing
Q
D002681:China; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018635:Rescue Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires