title: Psychological distress among adolescents in Chengdu, Sichuan at 1 month after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
abstract: A devastating earthquake occurred on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan, China. This study investigated the prevalence and factors in association with psychological problems among secondary school students living in Chengdu (90 km away from the disaster epicenter) in June 2008. In a cross-sectional survey, 3,324 secondary students self-administered a structured questionnaire in classroom setting. Validated scales were used in this study. Among all respondents, 22.3% reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 22.6% were probable depression cases; 10.6% reported suicidal ideation; and 14.1% would like to receive psychological counseling. No gender differences were found. While social/emotional support from teachers or peers (OR from 0.40 to 0.78) and exposure to positive news reports (OR from 0.59 to 0.62) were found protective, prior experience of severe mental distress (OR from 1.60 to 2.68) and corporal punishment (OR from 1.31 to 1.58), worry about future aftershocks (OR from 1.64 to 3.11), absence from school when it was not closed (OR from 1.38 to 1.48), exposures to scary or sorrowful disaster media coverage (OR from 1.39 to 2.07), post-disaster visits to affected sites (OR from 1.51 to 1.59), separation from parents (OR = 1.61), etc., were risk factors predictive of some of the aforementioned psychological problems. Negative mental health impacts were prevalent among the respondents. Teachers, parents, and the mass media are all important in maintaining good mental health among adolescents that are indirectly affected by the severe earthquake. The results have important implications for earthquake preparedness and relief work in the future.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Behaviours Research, School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, SAR, China. jlau@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Joseph T F
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Xiaonan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jianxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Winnie W S
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: Kai Chow
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Wacy W S
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: Jianxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Emily Y Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2008 Mar 15;158(2):164-71
references.pmid: 18258306
references.citation: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006 Aug;60(8):675-82
references.pmid: 16840756
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995 Oct;34(10):1369-80
references.pmid: 7592275
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2008 Feb;66(4):994-1007
references.pmid: 18164112
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1994 Jan;33(1):94-105
references.pmid: 8138526
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 2002 Mar 28;346(13):982-7
references.pmid: 11919308
references.citation: Psychiatry. 2002 Winter;65(4):289-300
references.pmid: 12530330
references.citation: J Psychosom Res. 2008 Jul;65(1):81-6
references.pmid: 18582616
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 2000 Aug;157(8):1260-6
references.pmid: 10910788
references.citation: Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003 Dec;12(6):273-80
references.pmid: 14689259
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 1997 Apr;154(4):536-42
references.pmid: 9090342
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1995 Dec;63(6):938-47
references.pmid: 8543716
references.citation: J Psychiatr Res. 2004 May-Jun;38(3):313-22
references.pmid: 15003437
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995 Sep;34(9):1174-84
references.pmid: 7559312
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Mar;162(3):530-7
references.pmid: 15741470
references.citation: Psychiatry. 2000 Winter;63(4):358-70
references.pmid: 11218559
references.citation: Int Rev Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;18(6):523-8
references.pmid: 17162692
references.citation: Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Oct;16(7):449-57
references.pmid: 17876513
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1993 Aug;163:239-47
references.pmid: 8075917
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Dec;162(12):2302-8
references.pmid: 16330594
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 1999 Jul;156(7):1069-74
references.pmid: 10401454
references.citation: J Trauma Stress. 2002 Apr;15(2):147-56
references.pmid: 12013066
references.citation: J Pers Assess. 1990 Winter;55(3-4):610-7
references.pmid: 2280326
references.citation: J Urban Health. 2002 Sep;79(3):373-82
references.pmid: 12200506
references.citation: Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2000 Jul;102(1):58-64
references.pmid: 10892611
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 1999 Oct;156(10):1536-44
references.pmid: 10518163