Faculty of Health Service, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
BMC Public Health. 2010 Mar 30;10:172. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-172.
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.
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.
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.
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.
自然灾害对年龄和心理影响之间的关系尚未得到充分描述。本研究对 2008 年四川地震发生后 15 个月的人群进行了一项基于人群的研究，以评估老年人幸存者是否更容易发生创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）和一般精神疾病。
采用多阶段系统抽样设计，对地震灾区的 327 名幸存者（152 名老年人，175 名年轻人）进行了一项基于人群的调查。
与年轻成年人幸存者相比，老年人更有可能出现 PTSD 症状（22.5% vs. 8.0%，p=0.001）和一般精神疾病（42.0% vs. 25.4%，p=0.003）。风险因素，如年龄较大、处于严重危险之中、失去家人、对自己的死亡或受伤感到内疚，与 PTSD 的发生显著相关；年龄较大、有家庭成员或朋友受重伤、对自己的死亡或受伤感到内疚，与一般精神疾病的发生显著相关。利用心理健康服务与降低出现这两种症状的风险密切相关。
与年轻人相比，老年幸存者更容易发生 PTSD 和一般精神疾病。应向老年人和处于特定风险的群体提供更多的心理健康服务，以确保他们在地震后顺利进行心理健康重建。
