title: Characteristics of Wenchuan earthquake victims who remained in a government-supported transitional community.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Chinese government and provincial authorities built a large number of temporary communities to shelter survivors after the May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Most residents left within a few months but others remained. This study describes the characteristics and psychological status of those victims who remained in a government-supported transitional community 12 months post-earthquake compared to residents who departed prior to that time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of survivors of Wenchuan earthquake who resided in a transitional community were enrolled: 86 in December 2008 and 151 in February 2009. We assessed their mental distress, symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide risk. Forty-three and 46 members of the two groups, respectively, had departed the transitional community at 1 year post-earthquake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both groups, most of the survivors who remained in the community 1 year post-earthquake were older, female, with a lower education level and more serious personal losses. They had scored higher on self-report measures reflecting distressing symptoms and impairment as compared with their departed neighbors, and had a higher prevalence of depression and suicide risk at the time of enrollment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survivors who come to live in a transitional community following a disaster are heterogeneous. Remaining survivors were apparently more vulnerable and had a lower capacity to seek work and return to a more self-sustaining life outside the transitional community. Such vulnerable survivors require distinctive strategies for making a successful return to independent living.
authors.affiliation: Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Health, Peking University, Beijing, China. maning@bjmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Caine
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013534:Survival / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Wenchuan earthquake; psychological status; transitional community; victims