Post-traumatic stress reactions of children and adolescents exposed to the Athens 1999 earthquake

This study was undertaken 6-7 months after the 1999 Athens earthquake with the aim of exploring the differences in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression symptoms between a group of children exposed to earthquake with a group of children not exposed to it, but with both groups potentially exposed to the same levels of post-earthquake adversities. The study included 2037 children, aged 9-17 years, who were assessed with self-completed questionnaires. The directly exposed group (N=1752) had significantly higher anxiety and PTSD scores than the indirectly exposed group (N=284), but no significant group differences were found in depression scores. Girls in both groups reported significantly more PTSD, anxiety and depressive symptoms than boys. Younger children reported significantly more PTSD and anxiety symptoms than the older ones. No significant interactions were found between direct exposure to earthquake, age group and gender. The severity of PTSD symptoms was most strongly predicted by greater perceived threat during the earthquake, whereas depression was most strongly predicted by the level of post-earthquake adversity. The severity of anxiety symptoms was most strongly predicted by female gender. These findings are discussed in relation to the need for screening and intervention following earthquake events.