@article{ref1,
title="Longitudinal study of PTSD, depression, and quality of life among adolescents after the Parnitha earthquake",
journal="Journal of affective disorders",
year="2011",
author="Goenjian, Armen K. and Roussos, Alexandra and Steinberg, Alan M. and Sotiropoulou, Christina and Walling, David and Kakaki, Marina and Karagianni, Stavroula",
volume="133",
number="3",
pages="509-515",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To investigate the course of PTSD, depression, and current quality of life among adolescents 32-months after the 1999 Parnitha earthquake in Greece. METHODS: The follow-up was conducted among 511 adolescents originally evaluated at 3-months post-earthquake using the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (PTSD-RI), Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS), and Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOLQ). RESULTS: Mean PTSD scores for the whole sample had subsided to mild levels; however, 8.8% were still experiencing moderate to severe levels of symptoms, and 13.6% met criteria for clinical depression. Frequency of experiencing reminders of the earthquake in the past month best explained the variance (15%) in PTSD severity, followed by depression at 3-months (8%). The QOLQ domain scores were negatively correlated with PTSD and depression. Depression at 3-months was the best predictor of QOLQ at 32-months, explaining 16% of the variance. LIMITATIONS: Self-report instruments were used; hence the responses may have been over- or under-estimated; also, the findings may not be generalizable to other ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: Ongoing screening is recommended after disaster to identify adolescents who continue to experience moderate to severe levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms. Specific interventions to reduce reactivity to earthquake-related reminders should be a component of post-disaster recovery programs. A quality of life measure can provide important information in addition to traditional scales for monitoring the course of recovery among adolescents after disasters.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0165-0327",
doi="10.1016/j.jad.2011.04.053",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.04.053"
}