CDC RELEASES FINDINGS OF MENTAL HEALTH STUDY IN TSUNAMI-AFFECTED THAILAND

Two studies led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dealing with the effects of the December 2004 tsunami on people in affected areas of Southern Thailand have been published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Approximately 20,000 children were directly affected by the tsunami that struck the six southwestern Thailand. To assess the prevalence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among children in these areas, the authors of this study conducted a survey of 371 children aged 7 to 14 years two months after the tsunami. A follow-up survey was conducted nine months after the tsunami. They also conducted a similar survey in adults.

The surveys found that traumatic events experienced during the tsunami were significantly associated with symptoms of PTSD and depression. Children from affected villages were more than twice as likely to report PTSD symptoms as children from unaffected villages. In adults, elevated rates of symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression were reported two months after the disaster, with higher rates for anxiety and depression than PTSD symptoms. Nine months after the disaster, the rates of those reporting these symptoms decreased but were still elevated.