Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among adolescents after the eastern Azerbaijan earthquake in Iran

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder on the basis of gender differences among both male and female adolescent earthquake victims in Eastern Azerbaijan, Iran.

The sample was composed of 195 adolescents exposed to the earthquakes. One year after the earthquakes, all subjects were approached with questions from a survey consisting of the Measures were administrated in a standard order as follows: Demographic Data Sheet, Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS).

The findings shows that the highest prevalence of traumatic events is the "dissociation state", that is 20.2% of respondents suffer from it, whereas only 7.3% of the adolescents suffer from "depression". The percentage of "Anxiety" and "Anger" were respectively 15.2% and 13.5%. The results show that 14.6% of adolescents Suffer from PTSD one year after earthquake. So, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in the population studied is estimated at least 11.2% and a maximum of 21.6%.

After a catastrophic natural disaster, children and adolescents are at risk for co-morbid PTSD, dissociation and depression. Early clinical intervention is recommended to prevent chronic post-traumatic stress reactions and depression. The results of this study may be helpful for further mental health interventions for adolescents after earthquakes.