2025/04/20 by Dana Churbaji, Linnea Ritter, Pascal Schlechter +2 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Medicine · Psychology · #Anxiety #COVID-19 and Mental Health #Clinical psychology #Demography #Depression (economics) #Generalized anxiety disorder #Longitudinal study #Medicine #Mental health #Migration, Health and Trauma #Population #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research #Psychiatry #Psychology #Psychopathology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1192/bjp.2025.1
published in The British Journal of Psychiatry 228(3), 220-228 (Cambridge University Press)
openalex publication_date 2025/04/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
BACKGROUND: The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in February 2023 represented a disaster within a disaster, as northwest Syria had been affected by years of war. Literature on the immediate psychological impact of such natural disasters in high-adversity populations is lacking. AIMS: To examine prevalences, longitudinal trajectories and cognitive predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) in survivors of armed conflict in northwest Syria exposed to the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. METHOD: We assessed self-reported PTSD, depression and GAD symptoms, as well as self-efficacy and repetitive negative thinking (RNT), at 4, 11 and 18 weeks post-earthquake (T1, T2 and T3, respectively) in 204 war survivors exposed to recent earthquakes. Retention rates for T2 and T3 were 84.4 and 75.8%, respectively. To determine trajectories of PTSD, depression and GAD, we conducted latent class growth analyses with time, self-efficacy and RNT as predictors, and trauma history, education and gender as covariates. RESULTS: Prevalences of probable PTSD, depression and GAD according to questionnaire cut-offs were 80.4, 79.9 and 70.1% at T1; 62.2, 57.2 and 54.2% at T2; and 62.1, 55.2 and 51.1% at T3. Across all disorders, three developmental trajectories emerged, with most participants following a recovery or low-symptom trajectory. RNT was associated with protracted recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Natural disasters are associated with poor mental health in individuals in war-torn regions. Although latent class growth analyses indicated prevailing recovery trajectories, prevalence remained alarmingly high across time. RNT emerged as a potential transdiagnostic factor across disorders. Research and interventions should prioritise northwest Syrians' unprecedented mental health needs.