Title
Mental Health Disturbance after a Major Earthquake in Northern Peru: A Preliminary, Cross-Sectional Study
Date Issued
01 July 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Zapata-Castro L.E.
Domínguez-Troncos H.
García-Vicente A.
León-Figueroa D.A.
Zila-Velasque J.P.
Grados-Espinoza P.
Astudillo-Rueda D.
Díaz-Vélez C.
Publisher(s)
MDPI
Abstract
Little has been studied in Peru on the mental health repercussions after a major earthquake. We aimed to explore the factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms in people who experienced a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Piura, Peru, on 30 July 2021. A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted in the general population between August–September 2021. An online questionnaire was provided using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other relevant measures. Generalized linear models were applied. Of the 177 participants, the median age was 22 years, the majority were female (56%), and many experienced depressive (52%) or anxiety symptoms (52%). Presence of depressive symptoms was associated with a personal history of mental disorder, moderate housing damage, social/material support from politicians, moderate food insecurity, and insomnia. Presence of anxiety symptoms was associated with physical injury caused by the earthquake, mild food insecurity, and insomnia. The development of depressive and anxiety symptoms following the 2021 earthquake experienced in Piura depended on multiple individual and socioeconomic factors. Additional studies should reinforce the factors identified here given the methodological limitations, such as the study design, sampling method, and sample size. This would lead to effective intervention measures to mitigate the impact of earthquakes on mental health.
Volume
19
Issue
14
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Psicología (incluye relaciones hombre-máquina) Geología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85134504382
PubMed ID
Source
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
ISSN of the container
16617827
Sponsor(s)
Acknowledgments: M.J.V.-G. was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) under Award Number D43TW009343 and the University of California Global Health Institute.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus