Prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder among Chinese youths after an earthquake

In the current study we investigated the prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Chinese youths after an earthquake. A total of 753 middle school students participated in the survey and 99.5% of them were of Tibetan ethnicity. The University of California, Los Angeles PTSD Reaction Index was used to assess PTSD symptoms and a total of 101 participants were identified as probable PTSD cases. Independent predictors of PTSD included female sex, being injured, witnessing death, and derealisation during the earthquake. Our results add to extant understanding of the impact of disasters on youth mental health, and carry implications for revising the current Criterion A2 of PTSD in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.