[Tsunami--impact on survivors and next of kin]

Survivors from the Tsunami in South East Asia 2004 and their next of kin were examined during the first year after the event with respect to trauma, symptoms and function, and satisfaction with the help they had been offered.

Patients admitted to a surgical department (n = 20), patients self-selected to a psychiatric outpatient unit (n = 10) and relatives (n = 17) completed the anxiety and depression scale [HADS] (sumscore 0-21) and recorded posttraumatic symptoms in the Impact of Event Scale [IES] (sumscore 0-75) at one, three, eight and 13 months after the Tsunami.

Both patients (IES scores fell from 31.7 to 22.7) and relatives (IES scores fell from 38.0 to 23.2) had lower levels of posttraumatic symptoms after 13 months. Patients' anxiety (HAD-scale) was reduced from 8.7 to 7.5 and depression (HAD-scale) from 9.5 to 7.3. For relatives, the corresponding figures were 8.2 to 5.4 for anxiety and 6.5 to 4.1 for depression. After 13 months, 45-65% of the patients had regained at least 80% of their normal function at work, in the family, with friends and during leisure time. 50% had been on sick leave for at least half a year, and 55% were still consulting a psychiatrist/psychologist. The satisfaction with follow-up from Norwegian authorities in the first phase was very low, but medical treatment and psychosocial follow-up in Norway afterwards received high scores.

Survivors after the Tsunami experienced substantial psychological distress at 13 months follow-up. Their relatives had similar levels of symptoms, but functioned better in general.