Prevalence and Correlates of PTSD among High School Students After the Earthquake Disaster in the City of Bam, Iran

Earthquake and its consequences have become recognized as a growing health problem in recent years in developing countries. On 26 December, 2003 at 5.26 Am, the town of Bam in the south eastern part of Iran suffered an earthquake of 6.3 on the Richter scale, killing more than 26000 people. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of PTSD and its correlates among high school students in Bam. This cross sectional survey was conducted 10 months after earthquake on all 466 high school students of Bam who remained in the City after the earthquake. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire. The prevalence of PTSD was 66.7%. About 70% of subjects showed some degree of depression. Girls and those who lost first degree relatives were more likely to suffer from PTSD. So these high risk individuals would need special attention and particular support.