Relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, quality of life, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among earthquake survivors

Objective: Previous studies have shown that mental health disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other anxiety disorders, and depression as well as poor health status and functional impairment are common after earthquake. In the present study, we examined relations of PTSD with dissociation, quality of life, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among a community sample of which greater proportion experienced a severe earthquake.

Method: Five hundred eighty-three subjects participated in the study, who were recruited from Van, Turkey which was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October 2011. Subjects were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI).

Results: We found that being female, being single, experiencing earthquake; having dissociative disorders and suicidal ideation were significant antecedents of PTSD symptom severity. Role-Physical, Bodily-Pain, General Health and Role-Emotional subscales of the SF-36 were inversely associated with PTSD symptoms.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that pathological dissociation, poor quality of life and suicidal ideation were significantly linked to PTSD symptom severity. General health and perception of physical and emotional functioning seem to be preventive factors for PTSD symptom severity.