PLoS ONE (Jan 2020)

Psychological symptoms and quality of life after repeated exposure to earthquake: A cohort study in Italy.

  • Francesco Altamore,
  • Iolanda Grappasonni,
  • Neelam Laxhman,
  • Stefania Scuri,
  • Fabio Petrelli,
  • Giuliana Grifantini,
  • Pamela Accaramboni,
  • Stefan Priebe

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233172
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 5
p. e0233172

Abstract

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In 2005, a random sample of 200 people were assessed in Camerino, Italy, eight years after an earthquake. Psychological symptom levels were low and only one person had current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In 2016 a new earthquake occurred in Camerino. The study aims to assess the impact of the second exposure in the same cohort. A longitudinal study was conducted, 130 participants were re-interviewed between July and December 2017. Psychological symptoms were self-rated on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Global Severity Index (GSI) was analysed. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were self-rated on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Subjective quality of life (SQOL) was assessed on the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA). Mean scores of GSI and IES-R were significantly higher than in 2005 (p<0.01 and p<0.001), whilst SQOL remained almost unchanged (p = 0.163). In 2017, 16.9% of the sample had reached the PTSD threshold whilst in 2005 only the 0.5% had reached it. Despite low symptom levels several years after an earthquake, people can show psychological distress after a new exposure, whilst average quality of life levels are not affected.