Psychiatric symptoms experienced by adolescents in Nepal following the 2015 earthquakes

: Silwal S, Dybdahl R, Chudal R, Sourander A, Lien L

Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

: 2018

: Journal of Affective Disorders

: JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS

: J AFFECT DISORDERS

: 234

: 239

: 246

: 8

: 0165-0327

: 1573-2517

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.03.002

: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032717318426?via=ihub

Background: In 2015, Nepal was hit by two major earthquakes, which caused 8900 deaths and displaced more than 450,000 people. We assessed the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms and explored potential risk factors among adolescents.Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 893 students aged 11-17 in school grades 7-10. They lived in two districts affected by the earthquakes: Sindhupalchok and Kathmandu. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using Child PTSD symptom scale and Depression Self-Rating Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis examined the associations between demographic, earthquake-related factors and psychiatric symptoms.Results: The prevalence of PTSS in the Sindhupalchok and Kathmandu districts were 39.5% and 10.7%, and depression symptoms were 40.4% and 23.2% respectively. The moderating effect of gender on the relationship between age and PTSS was significant. In the multivariate logistic analyses, the factors associated with PTSS and depression were: being female, prior exposure to trauma and being directly affected by the earthquakes.Limitations: Due to the lack of pre-earthquake prevalence rates, our estimates may have been due to chronic long-lasting problems of poverty and lack of access to physical and mental health services. The use of self-reported questionnaires might have overestimated the prevalence rates compared to psychiatric interviews.Conclusions: One year after the earthquakes, adolescents living in Sindhupalchok had a higher prevalence of PTSS and depressive symptoms than those living in Kathmandu. Socio-economic and earthquake-related factors were associated with psychiatric outcomes. The findings indicate the need for early psychosocial interventions, prevention and future research after emergency relief.