Post-Traumatic Stress and School Adaptation in Adolescent Survivors Five Years after the 2010 Yushu Earthquake in China

Shou Liu, Li Lu, Zheng-Zhong Bai, Min Su, Zheng-Qing Qi, Shi-Yu Zhang, Yuan Chen, Bing-Yu Ao, Feng-Zhen Cui, Emmanuel Lagarde and Kehshin Lii
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Shou Liu: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Li Lu: Team IETO, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR U1219, INSERM, Université de Bordeaux, 33076 Bordeaux, France
Zheng-Zhong Bai: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Min Su: School of Public Administration, Inner Mongolia University, Inner Mongolia 010021, China
Zheng-Qing Qi: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Shi-Yu Zhang: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Yuan Chen: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Bing-Yu Ao: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Feng-Zhen Cui: Department of Public Health, Medical College, Qinghai University, Qinghai 810001, China
Emmanuel Lagarde: Team IETO, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR U1219, INSERM, Université de Bordeaux, 33076 Bordeaux, France
Kehshin Lii: Department of Statistics, University of California, Riverside, 337 Olmsted Hall, UCR, Riverside, CA 92521, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Background: The devastating Ms 7.1 earthquake struck Yushu city, China, in 2010, leading to serious consequences and damage in the central Tibetan Plateau. This study aimed to assess school adaptation and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of adolescent survivors five years after the Yushu earthquake. (2) Methods: A large-scale, school-based mental health survey was conducted 5 years after the earthquake among Tibetan students in the city of Yushu using the Adolescent’s School Adaptation Scale (ASAS) and the PTSD Checklist. (3) Results: A total of 1976 questionnaires were collected. A total of 30.7% of Tibetan adolescents had poor school adaptation and 19.5% were estimated as having probable PTSD. Logistic regression showed that females (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60–0.89), senior students (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.39–0.59), and those who participated in post-disaster reconstruction (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54–0.85) were less likely to have poor school adaptation, while a positive association was observed among those buried under a collapsed building (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.04–2.09) and those who experienced bereavement (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.27–2.45). Students who had experienced bereavement were also more likely to have PTSD (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.12–2.28). (4) Conclusions: The post-traumatic effects of the Yushu earthquake on Tibetan adolescents were severe and long-lasting. Sustainable long-term mental health services to help adolescents to restructure their mental health are necessary.

Keywords: adolescent; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); school adaptation; Tibetan; Yushu earthquake (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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