Association between posttraumatic stress disorder and preflood behavioral characteristics among children aged 7-15 years in Hunan, China

Minning Peng, Aizhong Liu, Jia Zhou, Shiwu Wen, Shuoqi Li, Tubao Yang, Xingli Li, Xin Huang, Benjamin Abuaku, Hongzhuan Tan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and preflood behavioral characteristics among children aged 7-15 years in Hunan, China. Subjects and Methods: In 2000, a retrospective study was carried out among children who had been exposed to the 1998 floods in Hunan. A multistage sampling method was used to select subjects from the flood-affected areas. A structured questionnaire administered to the children selected was used to diagnose PTSD based on the DSM-IV criteria. A parent questionnaire was used to measure preflood behavioral characteristics related to health, behavioral, and habit problems. The association between PTSD and preflood behavioral characteristics was assessed using χ2-tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 7,038 children from 13,450 households, aged 7-15 years, were investigated. The overall prevalence of PTSD was 2.05%. Generally, the PTSD-positive rate increased with increasing scores for behavioral characteristics. Conclusion: Preflood behavioral characteristics are an important factor influencing the prevalence of PTSD among children exposed to floods. It is therefore necessary to give special attention to children with behavioral problems in order to reduce the psychological impact of floods.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)336-340
Number of pages5
JournalMedical Principles and Practice
Volume20
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Behavioral characteristics
  • Flood
  • Posttraumatic stress disorder

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