Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Research article

Are the elderly more vulnerable to psychological impact of natural disaster? A population-based survey of adult survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake

Authors: Zhaobao Jia, Wenhua Tian, Weizhi Liu, Yang Cao, Jin Yan, Zhisheng Shun

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The association between ages and psychological impact of natural disasters has not been well characterized. A population-based study was conducted 15 months after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to assess whether elderly survivors were more likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general psychiatric morbidity.

Methods

A population-based survey of 327 survivors (152 elders, 175 younger adults) was conducted in severely affected areas by the earthquake, using a multi-stage systematic sampling design.

Results

Compared with the younger adult survivors, the elderly were more likely to have symptoms of PTSD (22.5% vs. 8.0%, p = 0.001) and general psychiatric morbidity (42.0% vs. 25.4%, p = 0.003). Risk factors, such as being elderly, having been in serious danger, having lost family members, and having felt guilt concerning one's death or injury were significantly associated with developing PTSD; being elderly, having family members or friends seriously injured, and having felt guilt concerning one's death or injury were significantly associated with developing general psychiatric morbidity. Utilization of mental health services is strongly associated with the decreased risk for developing both of the symptoms.

Conclusion

Compared with the younger adults, the elderly survivors were more likely to develop PTSD and general psychiatric morbidity. More mental health services should be distributed to the elderly and groups at particular risk, to ensure their smooth mental health reconstruction after the earthquake.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Chan EY: The untold stories of the Sichuan earthquake. Lancet. 2008, 372: 359-362. 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61141-1.CrossRefPubMed
2.
3.
Pekovic V, Seff L, Rothman MB: Planning for and responding to special needs of elders in natural disasters. Generations. 2007, 31: 37-41.
4.
Goenjian AK, Najarian LM, Pynoos RS, Steinberg AM, Manoukian G, Tavosian A, Fairbanks LA: Posttraumatic stress disorder in elderly and younger adults after the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. Am J Psychiatry. 1994, 151: 895-901.CrossRefPubMed
5.
van Griensven F, Chakkraband ML, Thienkrua W, Pengjuntr W, Lopes Cardozo B, Tantipiwatanaskul P, Mock PA, Ekassawin S, Varangrat A, Gotway C, et al: Mental health problems among adults in tsunami-affected areas in southern Thailand. JAMA. 2006, 296: 537-548. 10.1001/jama.296.5.537.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Wang X, Gao L, Shinfuku N, Zhang H, Zhao C, Shen Y: Longitudinal study of earthquake-related PTSD in a randomly selected community sample in north China. Am J Psychiatry. 2000, 157: 1260-1266. 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.8.1260.CrossRefPubMed
7.
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 2000, Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, Fourth
8.
Neria Y, Nandi A, Galea S: Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: a systematic review. Psychol Med. 2008, 38: 467-480. 10.1017/S0033291707001353.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Liu A, Tan H, Zhou J, Li S, Yang T, Wang J, Liu J, Tang X, Sun Z, Wen SW: An epidemiologic study of posttraumatic stress disorder in flood victims in Hunan China. Can J Psychiatry. 2006, 51: 350-354.PubMed
10.
Ticehurst S, Webster RA, Carr VJ, Lewin TJ: The psychosocial Impact of an earthquake on the elderly. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 1999, 11: 943-951. 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1166(199611)11:11<943::AID-GPS412>3.0.CO;2-B.CrossRef
11.
Cherniack EP: The impact of natural disasters on the elderly. Am J Disaster Med. 2008, 3: 133-139.PubMed
12.
Kohn R, Levav I, Garcia ID, Machuca ME, Tamashiro R: Prevalence, risk factors and aging vulnerability for psychopathology following a natural disaster in a developing country. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2005, 20: 835-841. 10.1002/gps.1369.CrossRefPubMed
13.
14.
15.
Lopes Cardozo B, Talley L, Burton A, Crawford C: Karenni refugees living in Thai-Burmese border camps: traumatic experiences, mental health outcomes, and social functioning. Soc Sci Med. 2004, 58: 2637-2644. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.09.024.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Feng S, Tan H, Benjamin A, Wen S, Liu A, Zhou J, Li S, Yang T, Zhang Y, Li X, Li G: Social support and posttraumatic stress disorder among flood victims in Hunan, China. Ann Epidemiol. 2007, 17: 827-833. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2007.04.002.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Chen CH, Tan HK, Liao LR, Chen HH, Chan CC, Cheng JJ, Chen CY, Wang TN, Lu ML: Long-term psychological outcome of 1999 Taiwan earthquake survivors: a survey of a high-risk sample with property damage. Compr Psychiatry. 2007, 48: 269-275. 10.1016/j.comppsych.2006.12.003.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Wan GH: Peasant flood in China: internal migration and its policy determinants. Third World Q. 1995, 16: 173-196. 10.1080/01436599550036086.CrossRefPubMed
19.
20.
Rubin A, Babbie ER: Research Methods for Social Work. 2008, Beijing: Peking University Press, 6
21.
Blanchard EB, Jones-Alexander J, Buckley TC, Forneris CA: Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behav Res Ther. 1996, 34: 669-673. 10.1016/0005-7967(96)00033-2.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Dobie DJ, Kivlahan DR, Maynard C, Bush KR, McFall M, Epler AJ, Bradley KA: Screening for post-traumatic stress disorder in female Veteran's Affairs patients: validation of the PTSD checklist. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2002, 24: 367-374. 10.1016/S0163-8343(02)00207-4.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Terhakopian A, Sinaii N, Engel CC, Schnurr PP, Hoge CW: Estimating population prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder: an example using the PTSD checklist. J Trauma Stress. 2008, 21: 290-300. 10.1002/jts.20341.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Goldberg D, Williams P: A user's guide to the general health questionnaire. 1988, Windsor: NFER-Nelson
25.
Goldberg DP, Gater R, Sartorius N, Ustun TB, Piccinelli M, Gureje O, Rutter C: The validity of two versions of the GHQ in the WHO study of mental illness in general health care. Psychol Med. 1997, 27: 191-197. 10.1017/S0033291796004242.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Chan DW, Chan TS: Reliability, validity and the structure of the General Health Questionnaire in a Chinese context. Psychol Med. 1983, 13: 363-371. 10.1017/S0033291700050996.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Pan PC, Goldberg DP: A comparison of the validity of GHQ-12 and CHQ-12 in Chinese primary care patients in Manchester. Psychol Med. 1990, 20: 931-940. 10.1017/S003329170003662X.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Roussos A, Goenjian AK, Steinberg AM, Sotiropoulou C, Kakaki M, Kabakos C, Karagianni S, Manouras V: Posttraumatic stress and depressive reactions among children and adolescents after the 1999 earthquake in Ano Liosia, Greece. Am J Psychiatry. 2005, 162: 530-537. 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.3.530.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Phillips MR, Zhang J, Shi Q, Song Z, Ding Z, Pang S, Li X, Zhang Y, Wang Z: Prevalence, treatment, and associated disability of mental disorders in four provinces in China during 2001 - 05: an epidemiological survey. Lancet. 2009, 373: 2041-2053. 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60660-7.CrossRefPubMed
30.
LU B, Wang C, Chen H, Zhang C, Liu M: Comparisons between different districts on the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatry. 2009, 22: 373-374.
31.
Hibino Y, Takaki J, Kambayashi Y, Hitomi Y, Sakai A, Sekizuka N, Ogino K, Nakamura H: Health impact of disaster-related stress on pregnant women living in the affected area of the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009, 63: 107-115. 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2008.01911.x.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Becker SM: Psychosocial care for adult and child survivors of the tsunami disaster in India. J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs. 2007, 20: 148-155. 10.1111/j.1744-6171.2007.00105.x.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Taylor F, Raskind MA: The alpha1-adrenergic antagonist prazosin improves sleep and nightmares in civilian trauma posttraumatic stress disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2002, 22: 82-85. 10.1097/00004714-200202000-00013.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Vidovic A, Vilibic M, Sabioncello A, Gotovac K, Rabatic S, Folnegovic-Smalc V, Dekaris D: Circulating lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and components of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in Croatian war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: cross-sectional study. Croat Med J. 2007, 48: 198-206.PubMedPubMedCentral
35.
Davidson JR, Hughes D, Blazer DG, George LK: Post-traumatic stress disorder in the community: an epidemiological study. Psychol Med. 1991, 21: 713-721. 10.1017/S0033291700022352.CrossRefPubMed
36.
Kessler RC, Sonnega A, Bromet E, Hughes M, Nelson CB: Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1995, 52: 1048-1060.CrossRefPubMed
37.
Matsuoka T, Yoshioka T, Oda J, Tanaka H, Kuwagata Y, Sugimoto H, Sugimoto T: The impact of a catastrophic earthquake on morbidity rates for various illnesses. Public Health. 2000, 114: 249-253. 10.1016/S0033-3506(00)00339-5.CrossRefPubMed
38.
Miller AC, Arquilla B: Chronic diseases and natural hazards: impact of disasters on diabetic, renal, and cardiac patients. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008, 23: 185-194.CrossRefPubMed
39.
Jhung MA, Shehab N, Rohr-Allegrini C, Pollock DA, Sanchez R, Guerra F, Jernigan DB: Chronic disease and disasters medication demands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Am J Prev Med. 2007, 33: 207-210. 10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.030.CrossRefPubMed
40.
Toyabe S, Shioiri T, Kuwabara H, Endoh T, Tanabe N, Someya T, Akazawa K: Impaired psychological recovery in the elderly after the Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake in Japan:a population-based study. BMC Public Health. 2006, 6: 230-10.1186/1471-2458-6-230.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
41.
Fichter MM, Kohlboeck G, Quadflieg N: The Upper Bavarian longitudinal community study 1975-2004. 2. Long-term course and outcome of depression. A controlled study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2008, 258: 476-488. 10.1007/s00406-008-0821-z.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Yule W: Posttraumatic stress disorder in the general population and in children. J Clin Psychiatry. 2001, 62 (Suppl 17): 23-28.PubMed
43.
Pirkola S, Sund R, Sailas E, Wahlbeck K: Community mental-health services and suicide rate in Finland: a nationwide small-area analysis. Lancet. 2009, 373: 147-153. 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61848-6.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Rust G, Daniels E, Satcher D, Bacon J, Strothers H, Bornemann T: Ability of community health centers to obtain mental health services for uninsured patients. JAMA. 2005, 293: 554-556. 10.1001/jama.293.5.554-c.PubMed
Metadata
Title
Are the elderly more vulnerable to psychological impact of natural disaster? A population-based survey of adult survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
Authors
Zhaobao Jia
Wenhua Tian
Weizhi Liu
Yang Cao
Jin Yan
Zhisheng Shun
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-172

Other articles of this Issue 1/2010

BMC Public Health 1/2010 Go to the issue

Study protocol

Design of the Advance Directives Cohort: a study of end-of-life decision-making focusing on Advance Directives

Research article

Predictors of mortality among elderly people living in a south Indian urban community; a 10/66 Dementia Research Group prospective population-based cohort study

Research article

Water and sewage systems, socio-demographics, and duration of residence associated with endemic intestinal infectious diseases: A cohort study

Research article

Geographic determinants of reported human Campylobacter infections in Scotland

Research article

Increasing community capacity to prevent childhood obesity: challenges, lessons learned and results from the Romp & Chomp intervention

Research article

Childhood and adult tuberculosis in a rural hospital in Southeast Ethiopia: a ten-year retrospective study