title: Risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors after the 512 Wenchuan earthquake in China.
abstract: This study investigated the psychological reactions of survivors of the 512 Wenchuan earthquake in China and the risk factors associated with those reactions. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Type D Scale-14 (DS14), a self-developed trauma experience questionniare, and a demographic questionnaire were administered to 956 earthquake survivors (389 males and 567 females) in Mianzhu, one of the cities most affected by the earthquake. The results showed that postraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms affected 84.8% of survivors one to two months after the earthquake. Significant risk factors associated with PTSD symptoms included: (1) being female; (2) older age; (3) higher exposure to traumatic events during the earthquake; and (4) negative affect in Type-D personality.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Samuel M Y
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult