Premium
Post‐traumatic stress disorder and its predictors among bereaved Tibetan adolescents four years after the Yushu earthquake: a cross‐sectional survey in China
Author(s) -
Dongling Liu,
Hui Chen,
Ling Ma,
Wenqian Bie,
Zailiang Liu,
Changying Chen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.13481
Subject(s) - traumatic stress , cross sectional study , acute stress disorder , medicine , injury prevention , coping (psychology) , occupational safety and health , checklist , psychiatry , poison control , suicide prevention , mental health , clinical psychology , psychology , posttraumatic stress , medical emergency , pathology , cognitive psychology
Aims and objectives To examine the prevalence of post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms and to explore the predictive factors of post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms among bereaved adolescents four years after the Yushu earthquake. Background On 14 April 2010, the 7·1‐magnitude Yushu earthquake occurred in the high‐altitude, hypoxia‐prone regions primarily inhabited by ethnic minorities. Many adolescents lost their parents during the earthquake. This study examined post‐traumatic stress disorder and its predictors among bereaved Tibetan adolescents four years after the trauma in China. Design This was a cross‐sectional descriptive study. Methods This study used a cross‐sectional design with 830 bereaved adolescents. Participant demographic data included gender, age and grade, and the earthquake exposure variables included the deceased relatives, whether they were buried, injured or amputated (non‐life‐threatening) and whether they witnessed a burial, injury or death. The post‐traumatic stress disorder Checklist‐Civilian version was used to assess the symptoms and prevalence of post‐traumatic stress disorder, and the Coping Style Scale assessed coping styles. Results The results indicated that the prevalence of post‐traumatic stress disorder was 19·3%. Individuals who were buried, injured or amputated (non‐life‐threatening), who witnessed a burial, injury or death, who suffered severe property loss during the earthquake and who had negative coping skills were the most likely individuals to have post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Conclusions The presence of post‐traumatic stress disorder was very prevalent among adolescents four years after the Yushu earthquake. Effective mental health services should be developed to facilitate postdisaster recovery for bereaved adolescents at high risk for post‐traumatic stress disorder. Relevance to clinical practice The findings in this study improve our understanding of post‐traumatic stress disorder and related risk factors in bereaved adolescents in non‐Western communities, providing useful information for rebuilding and relief work.