Session

Psychology

Description

On November 2019 Albania was shook by the largest earthquake to hit this country in less than forty years. Earthquakes like that one give rise to mental health problems like PTSD symptoms, but some people report far more PTSD related symptoms than others. Therefore, this study aims to understand the factors that make some earthquake survivors more prone to experience PTSD symptoms. 227 participants were part of this study (74 % females). Self- report questionnaires were used such as Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) and The Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R). The results indicate that proximity to epicenter of earthquake, home damage, financial problems, abuse before age 16 and overall emotional abuse, past serious accidents, sudden death and loss of a loved one, level of education, and previous mental or physical problems played a role in reporting symptoms of PTSD. Nevertheless, age and gender did not play a role. Limitations and implications of this study are also discussed.

Keywords:

Earthquake, PTSD, Contributing Factors, Albania.

Session Chair

Violeta Zefi

Session Co-Chair

Denis Celcima

Proceedings Editor

Edmond Hajrizi

ISBN

978-9951-437-96-7

First Page

22

Last Page

39

Location

Lipjan, Kosovo

Start Date

31-10-2020 9:00 AM

End Date

31-10-2020 10:30 AM

DOI

10.33107/ubt-ic.2020.482

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Oct 31st, 9:00 AM Oct 31st, 10:30 AM

Contributing Factors to the Onset of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms among the Survivors of Albania Earthquake

Lipjan, Kosovo

On November 2019 Albania was shook by the largest earthquake to hit this country in less than forty years. Earthquakes like that one give rise to mental health problems like PTSD symptoms, but some people report far more PTSD related symptoms than others. Therefore, this study aims to understand the factors that make some earthquake survivors more prone to experience PTSD symptoms. 227 participants were part of this study (74 % females). Self- report questionnaires were used such as Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) and The Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R). The results indicate that proximity to epicenter of earthquake, home damage, financial problems, abuse before age 16 and overall emotional abuse, past serious accidents, sudden death and loss of a loved one, level of education, and previous mental or physical problems played a role in reporting symptoms of PTSD. Nevertheless, age and gender did not play a role. Limitations and implications of this study are also discussed.