title: Risk factors of severity of post-traumatic stress disorder among survivors with physical disabilities one year after the Wenchuan earthquake.
abstract: On May 12, 2008, a devastating earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan County and surrounding areas in China. This study aimed to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of the earthquake, and to evaluate factors of severity of PTSD symptoms among survivors with physical disabilities. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional survey and recruited 817 survivors with physical disabilities in three stricken areas. Assessment measures included the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Our study showed that 27.42% of the survivors with physical disabilities had PTSD symptoms one year after the Wenchuan earthquake. In the regression model, geographic location, female, suffering from paralysis following the earthquake, and going into a coma in the earthquake were associated with severe PTSD symptoms. Our findings suggest that a substantial proportion of physically disabled survivors of a big earthquake may have severe PTSD symptoms. The associated factors of PTSD identified in our study could inform the implementation of preventive programs for this population and give hint on the way to cope with this kind of disaster in the future.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610041, China.
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, the Third People's Hospital of Mianyang City, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province 621000, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu City, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610000, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610041, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610041, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, the Third People's Hospital of Mianyang City, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province 621000, China.
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, the Demobilized Veterans' Hospital of Sichuan Province, Chongzhou City, Sichuan Province 611200, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610041, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610041, China. Electronic address: joana028@163.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: China; Disability; Disaster; Trauma