TITLE:
PTSD, depression and anxiety among tsunami affected people in Thailand: A population-based longitudinal study
AUTHORS:
Benjaporn Panyayong, Wachira Pengjantr
KEYWORDS:
Mental Health; Prevalence; Disaster
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.6 No.3,
February
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background: On
December 26, 2004, Asian tsunami attacked the southern part of Thailand. The
tsunami induced catastrophic consequences. There was no study of long-term
mental health outcomes among adult survivors by natural disasters in
Thailand. Objective: The purposes of the present study were to determine
prevalence and longitudinal course of PTSD, depression, and anxiety among
tsunami affecting Thai people, and to identify factors associated with PTSD, depression,
and anxiety in this particular group. Material and Method: The present study
was a population-based longitudinal study. The third mental health assessment
was conducted among adult survivors older than 17 years at three years after tsunami.
PTSD, depression and anxiety were assessed by using the Harvard Trauma
Questionnaire (HTQ) and the Hopkins Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) respectively.
Results: 550 of 693 affected people in Phang Nga province were enrolled in the
follow-up survey at three years after tsunami. Prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and
depression among affected people decreased from 9.5% (66/693), 33.6% (233/693)
and 25.7% (178/693), at two months after tsunami, to 2.6% (13/503), 18.7%
(94/503), and 14.1% (71/503) at three years after tsunami respectively. Risk
factors for mental health problems were post-traumatic life stress such as the
loss of livelihood for PTSD, depression and anxiety, and pre-traumatic
vulnerabilities such as sex (female), education, and previous mental illness
for depression and anxiety. Conclusion: PTSD, depression and anxiety among
tsunami affecting Thai people decreased over time. Pre-traumatic vulnerable
factors and post-traumatic life stress were associated with PTSD, depression
and anxiety. These results are acknowledgeable by two points: first, it is
important to provide both mental health intervention and psychosocial
intervention in rehabilitation phase for the affected people; second, duration
of intervention should be at least three years after severely impacted
disaster.