Assessment of psychopathological consequences in children at 3 years after tsunami disaster.

BACKGROUND: At 1 year after the Tsunami disaster, 30% of students in two high risk schools at Takuapa district of Phang Nga Province still suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The number ofpatients was sharply declined after 18 months. The psychological consequences in children who diagnosed PTSD after the event were reinvestigated again at 3 years, as there were reports of significant comorbidity and continuing of subsyndromal post traumatic stress symptoms in children suffered from other disasters. OBJECTIVE: To assess psychological outcomes and factors contributed at 3-year follow up time in children diagnosed PTSD at 1-year after the Tsunami disaster MATERIAL AND METHOD: There were 45 students who were diagnosed PTSD at 1-year after the disaster At 3-year follow up time, clinical interview for psychiatric diagnosis was done by psychiatrists. RESULTS: 11.1% of students who had been diagnosed as PTSD at 1-year after Tsunami still had chronic PTSD and 15% had either depressive disorder or anxiety disorder 25% of students completely recovered from mental disorders. Nearly 50% ofstudents were categorized in partial remission or subsyndromal PTSD group. Factors which influenced long-term outcomes were prior history of trauma and severe physical injury from the disaster. CONCLUSION: Although the point prevalence of PTSD in children affected by Tsunami was declined overtime, a significant number of students still suffer from post traumatic stress symptoms, depressive disorder or anxiety disorder which need psychological intervention.

Psychiatric disorders in children at one year after the tsunami disaster in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: The tsunami that struck Thailand on 26th December 2004 was the greatest natural disaster in the country's history. It left in its wake unprecedented damage and destruction. Children suffered the loss of parents or guardians, and survivors were left to cope with psychological trauma of the disaster OBJECTIVE: To assess the psychiatric disorders in tsunami victim children at one year after the event. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross sectional study was done. One thousand three hundred and sixty-four students from 2 schools were enrolled. Three tests were used according to the students' grades, pediatric symptoms checklist, Childhood Depressive Inventory and the Revised Child Impact of Events scale (CRIES). Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed by child and adolescent psychiatrists, using criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM IV). Analysis data by using SPSS version 10.0 and Chi-square test. The results were presented as percentage and p-value. RESULTS: Psychiatric disorders were found in 142 students or 10.4 percents of all students at one year after the tsunami disaster. Not all the students who had psychiatric disorders developed them as the result of the tsunami disaster However, ninety students or 6.3 percent of all the students did have psychiatric disorders resulting from the tsunami disaster The most common psychiatric problem was post traumatic stress disorder Ten percent of grade 4-6 students and 11 percent of grade 7-9 students had psychiatric disorders. The prevalence was lower in kindergarten and grade 1-3 students of which the percentage was 2.3 and 3.8 respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders at 1 year after the tsunami disaster was 10.4 percent of all the students or 33.1 percent of victims. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in grade 4-6 and 7-9 students was higher than in kindergarten and grade 1-3 students. The most common psychiatric problem is post traumatic stress disorder.