Psychological Symptoms and Quality of Life After Repeated Exposure to Earthquake: A Cohort Study in Italy

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2020 May 13

PMID 32396568

Citations 5

Authors

Francesco Altamore

Iolanda Grappasonni

Neelam Laxhman

Stefania Scuri

Fabio Petrelli

Giuliana Grifantini

Pamela Accaramboni

Stefan Priebe

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In 2005, a random sample of 200 people were assessed in Camerino, Italy, eight years after an earthquake. Psychological symptom levels were low and only one person had current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In 2016 a new earthquake occurred in Camerino. The study aims to assess the impact of the second exposure in the same cohort. A longitudinal study was conducted, 130 participants were re-interviewed between July and December 2017. Psychological symptoms were self-rated on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Global Severity Index (GSI) was analysed. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were self-rated on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Subjective quality of life (SQOL) was assessed on the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA). Mean scores of GSI and IES-R were significantly higher than in 2005 (p<0.01 and p<0.001), whilst SQOL remained almost unchanged (p = 0.163). In 2017, 16.9% of the sample had reached the PTSD threshold whilst in 2005 only the 0.5% had reached it. Despite low symptom levels several years after an earthquake, people can show psychological distress after a new exposure, whilst average quality of life levels are not affected.

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