Citation

Ren ZJ, Deng H, Hsu LKG. Psychiatry 2011; 74(1): 87-92.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Guilford Publications)

DOI

10.1521/psyc.2011.74.1.87

PMID

21463173

Abstract

On May 12, 2008, at 2:28 PM, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter Scale struck Southwest China, with the epicenter in Wenchuan, a county about 92 km (about 58 miles) north-west of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu. The earthquake destroyed about 6.5 million homes, leaving 4.8 million people homeless. Official figures stated that 69,196 are confirmed dead, including some 5,335 school children, while an additional 18,379 are listed as missing (Sina.com, 2009). An epidemiological survey conducted 2.5 months after the earthquake in two counties affected by the earthquake found the prevalence of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) to be 45.5% in the heavily damaged county and 9.4% in the moderately damaged one (Kun et al., 2009).

Language: en