Prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and burnout in Pakistani earthquake recovery workers

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 185; no. 1; pp. 161 - 166
• Main Authors: Ehring, Thomas, Razik, Saiqa, Emmelkamp, Paul M.G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 30.01.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - diagnosis; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Depression; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Earthquake; Earthquakes; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Pakistan - epidemiology; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Predictive Value of Tests; Prevalence; Professionals; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; PTSD; Rescue Work - statistics & numerical data; Severity of Illness Index; Social Support; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trauma; Young Adult; Pakistan; PTSD; Burnout; Earthquake; Professionals; Depression; Anxiety; Trauma; Mood disorder; Human; Affect affectivity; Prevalence; Anxiety disorder; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Epidemiology; Recovery; Stress; Occupational burnout; Earthquakes; Worker; Predictive factor; Public health
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2009.10.018

Abstract Past research has shown a substantial prevalence of emotional disorders in professionals involved in rescue and/or relief operations following natural disasters, including earthquakes. However, no published study to date has investigated whether disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction workers involved in later phases of the earthquake response are also affected by emotional problems. A nearly complete sample of earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction workers ( N = 267) involved in the response to the 2005 earthquake in Northern Pakistan filled in a set of self-report questionnaires assessing emotional problems and predictor variables approximately 24 months after the earthquake. Most participants had experienced the disaster themselves and suffered from a number of stressors during and shortly after the acute earthquake phase. A substantial subgroup of participants reported clinically relevant levels of emotional disorders, especially earthquake-related posttraumatic stress disorder (42.6%), as well as depression and anxiety (approx. 20%). Levels of burnout were low. Symptom levels of posttraumatic stress disorder were associated with the severity of the earthquake experience, past traumas, work-related stressors, low social support, and female gender. The results document a high prevalence of emotional problems in earthquake rehabilitation and recovery workers.