Psychiatric symptoms experienced by adolescents in Nepal following the 2015 earthquakes

In 2015, Nepal was hit by two major earthquakes, which caused 8900 deaths and displaced more than 450,000 people. We assessed the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms and explored potential risk factors among adolescents.

This cross-sectional study comprised 893 students aged 11-17 in school grades 7-10. They lived in two districts affected by the earthquakes: Sindhupalchok and Kathmandu. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using Child PTSD symptom scale and Depression Self-Rating Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis examined the associations between demographic, earthquake-related factors and psychiatric symptoms.

The prevalence of PTSS in the Sindhupalchok and Kathmandu districts were 39.5% and 10.7%, and depression symptoms were 40.4% and 23.2% respectively. The moderating effect of gender on the relationship between age and PTSS was significant. In the multivariate logistic analyses, the factors associated with PTSS and depression were: being female, prior exposure to trauma and being directly affected by the earthquakes.

Due to the lack of pre-earthquake prevalence rates, our estimates may have been due to chronic long-lasting problems of poverty and lack of access to physical and mental health services. The use of self-reported questionnaires might have overestimated the prevalence rates compared to psychiatric interviews.

One year after the earthquakes, adolescents living in Sindhupalchok had a higher prevalence of PTSS and depressive symptoms than those living in Kathmandu. Socio-economic and earthquake-related factors were associated with psychiatric outcomes. The findings indicate the need for early psychosocial interventions, prevention and future research after emergency relief.