Cross-lagged analysis of acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms among children after Lushan earthquake / 中国心理卫生杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To examine the relationships between acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms,posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depressive symptoms in children survivors following the Lushan earthquake in China.Methods:One hundred ninety-seven children aged 1 to 14years (93 male and 104 female) were followed up at two and six weeks after Lushan earthquake.The ASDS,UCLA PTSD Reaction Index and DASS were used to measure the ASD,PTSD and depressive symptoms.Results:The average scores of ASDS and the depression subscale of DASS at two weeks after earthquake were(36.5 ± 10.9) and (3.3 ± 2.8),respectively.The average scores of UCLA PTSD Reaction Index and the depression subscale of DASS-21 at six weeks after earthquake were (18.5 ± 12.6) and (3.3 ± 3.5),respectively.The rates of ASD and PTSD were 28.6％ and 8.2％,respectively.The cross-lagged structural equation analysis with latent variables indicated that the ASD symptoms at two weeks after earthquake positively predicted PTSD symptoms (β =0.59,p ＜ 0.001) and depressive symptoms (β =0.29,p ＜0.001) at six weeks after earthquake.But there was no significant association between depressive symptoms at two weeks and PTSD symptoms at six weeks after earthquake.Conclusion:ASD symptoms in the early time postearthquake could predict subsequent PTSD and depressive symptoms,while depressive symptoms tend to remain stable within six weeks after earthquake.