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An epidemiological survey of mental disorders 5 years after the Lushan earthquake in Ya’an, China

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to (1) explore the prevalence and relevant influencing factors of different mental disorders 5 years after the Lushan earthquake in Ya’an, China.

Methods

An epidemiological mental health survey was conducted to identify the prevalence of mental disorders in general population in Ya’an. A multi-stage, group-matching random sampling method was adopted. Face-to-face interviews were done with a two-stage design by trained interviewers and psychiatrists. The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) was used for the diagnosis.

Results

There were 8876 participants who were interviewed in this study. The total 12-month and lifetime prevalence of all mental disorders were 12.5% and 14.7%, respectively. There was a significant difference between males and females in the prevalence patterns of several mental disorders. Han ethnic group had higher prevalence of anxiety disorders (2.7%), and the Tibetan group had higher prevalence of alcohol-related disorders (5.0%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the areas severely affected by the earthquake had significantly higher prevalence of depressive disorders, and the extremely severe affected areas had significantly higher prevalence of trauma- and stressor-related disorders.

Conclusion

Our findings show that the prevalence of a range of mental disorders 5 years after the earthquake in Ya’an are high, and the prevalence of depressive and trauma- and stressor-related disorders may be influenced differently by the various severity of earthquake impact. This study may be crucial for the health policy-making, cultural-specific mental health services and long-term mental recovery after the earthquake.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank all participants, investigators, clinicians, nurses, front-line workers in the community for participation and the data collection in the research project.

Funding

This project was supported by the Ya’an Science and Technology Project Funding, in China, Project Number (2018yyjskf04).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Ru Gao and Sherry Kit Wa Chan are first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ya’an Fourth People’s Hospital, Ya’an, 625000, Sichuan, China

    Ru Gao, Bing-Zhi Zhang, Shu-Rong Peng, Chuan-Gang Yang, Guo-Jiao Tian, Jing-Zhen Bai, Liu-Xiu Xu, Yu-Hui Li, Zai-Jiang Zheng & Dao-Sheng Pu

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Sherry Kit Wa Chan

  3. School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Jing-Xia Lin

  4. Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Cecilia Lai-Wan Chan & Mao-Sheng Ran

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  1. Ru Gao
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  2. Sherry Kit Wa Chan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mao-Sheng Ran.

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Gao, R., Chan, S.K.W., Zhang, BZ. et al. An epidemiological survey of mental disorders 5 years after the Lushan earthquake in Ya’an, China. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 56, 1263–1272 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01974-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01974-x

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