[Analysis on factors affecting the severity of post-traumatic stress disorder in transferred casualty after Earthquake].

OBJECTIVE

To investigated the related factors which affecting the severity degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in transferred casualty after Wenchuan Earthquake.

METHODS

Taking PTSD symptoms self-assessment scale (PCL-C) to involve 386 wounded who suffered 40 days after the earthquake disaster, from 11 hospitals and were transferred to Chongqing city. Multi-stage cluster sampling method was used. 354 valid questionnaires were recovered to explore the relevant factors affecting the severity on the symptoms of PTSD.

RESULTS

This survey contains 354 subjects, with male 154 (43.6%), female 200 (56.4%), age 43.76 +/- 21.22, nation alities: Han people 236 (66.7%), Qiang people 114 (32.2%), others 4 (1.1%), and marriage status as unmarried 92 (26.1%), married 253 (71.7%), others 9 (2.2%). The wounded women PTSD have more serious symptoms than men, and there were differences between them in repeated and disturbing dreams of this stressful experience (t = 2.46, P = 0.014), a strong sense of psychological suffering annoyance (t = 2.02, P = 0.044), having difficulty concentrating (t = 2.04, P = 0.042), being "super-alert" (t = 2.465, P = 0.014) etc, also in the total scores (t = 2.489, P = 0.013) (P < 0.05). The PTSD symptoms of wounded degree in who had been buried in Earthquake were more serious than those not been buried. There were significant differences between them in the items as: avoid thinking about or talking about a stressful experience (t = 2.661, P = 0.008), avoid activities or situations that could recall the stressful experience (t = 2.705, P = 0.007), trouble remembering important parts of a stressful experience (t = 2.775, P = 0.006), feeling emotionally numb or being unable to have loving feelings for those close to you (t = 3.017, P = 0.003), feeling as if your future will somehow be cut short (t = 2.979, P = 0.003) and total scores (t = 3.175, P = 0.002). The wounded that witnessed someone be buried or died in earthquake, in PTSD symptoms, were more serious than those without. In the items of feeling distant or cut off from other people, feeling emotionally numb or being unable to have loving feelings for those close to you, feeling irritable or having angry outbursts, there were significant difference (P < 0.05 - 0.01). There were significant differences among the average score of the three core symptoms (F = 3.350, P < 0.001), among the three core symptoms as well as between the three core symptoms and total score respectively.

CONCLUSION

There were differences in the severity degrees of PTST in transferred casualty under different exposed conditions. Correlations were also found between each of the symptoms.