RESEARCH ARTICLE
Moderate Depression Promotes Posttraumatic Growth (Ptg): A Young Population Survey 2 Years after the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake
V. Bianchini1, *, L. Giusti2, 3, A Salza 2, 3, V. Cofini2, M. G. Cifone2, M. Casacchia2, L. Fabiani2, R. Roncone2, 3
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2017Volume: 13
First Page: 10
Last Page: 19
Publisher ID: CPEMH-13-10
DOI: 10.2174/1745017901713010010
Article History:
Received Date: 31/03/2016Revision Received Date: 28/12/2016
Acceptance Date: 20/01/2017
Electronic publication date: 16/03/2017
Collection year: 2017
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
Earthquakes can result in a range of psychopathology and in negative and positive consequences for survivors.
Objective:
To examine the association between clinical aftereffects (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among young survivors of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, Italy.
Method:
316 young earthquake survivors enrolled in the University of L’Aquila were evaluated two years after the natural disaster. Participants completed three main questionnaires, including Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI).
Results:
59.6% of the student sample showed different levels of depression, whereas 13.3% reported anxiety symptoms. In both clinical dimensions (anxiety and depression), gender differences were found: female gender was confirmed risk factor for a clinical post-traumatic response. Personal PTG, demonstrated by 18% of the L’Aquila youths included in our sample, was predicted by moderate levels of depression (O.R. 2.7). In our model, gender, age, and anxiety did not show any predictive value.
Conclusion:
In a post-traumatic setting, the development of individual cognitive strategies is crucial, whereas after a natural disaster, paradoxically, a moderate depressive condition and the related distress could promote the drive to overcome the psychological consequences of the traumatic event.
