Long-Term Health Consequences Among Wenchuan Earthquake Adult Survivors: Implications of a Framework for Postearthquake Reconstruction

J Nerv Ment Dis. 2019 Oct;207(10):884-892. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001045.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal health consequences of the Wenchuan earthquake. Based on descriptive analyses of national-level data and multivariate analyses on a six-wave repeated cross-sectional survey, the findings suggested that after 8 years health risks remained high among earthquake-affected survivors; however, a process of recovery existed. To conceptualize these findings, in this study, we proposed a three-stage recovery model in which the postdisaster health status was divided into three stages: acute, stagnant, and adaptive. At each stage, the health risk varied, and over time, associations between health outcomes and protective factors varied. The three-stage recovery model identified the trends of long-term health consequences among adult earthquake survivors and provided guidance for postdisaster reconstruction in China on the basis of protective factors analyses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Disasters*
  • Earthquakes*
  • Female
  • Health Status*
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Risk Factors
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
  • Survivors / psychology*
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult