Unaiza Niaz, Sehar Hassan, Mehar Hasan.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, fear and avoidance in destitute women, earthquake survivors of NWFP, Pakistan.
J Pak Psych Soc Jan ;4(1):44-9.

Objective: To evaluate psychological consequences of traumatic stress such as Depression, Fear and Avoidance in destitute women after 8th October earthquake in NWFP, Pakistan. Design: Cross-sectional study of a group of destitute women. Place and duration of study: The study was conducted at a Destitute Women`s Shelter Camp in Mansehra in May 2006. Subjects & Methods: A total of 75 women were interviewed from a Destitute Women`s Shelter Camp in Mansehra. Standardized structured questionnaires were administered by the researchers following counseling and interview of individual woman in privacy. The instruments used in this study; SITSES, Depression Scale and Fear and Avoidance Scale. SITSES includes detailed Survivor Information Form (SIF), Traumatic Stress Symptom Checklist (TSSC) and Severity of Disability Scale (SDS). Results: The mean age of the respondents was 39 years (S.D. =13.4). 82% were illiterate. 92% were widow. 70% lost their homes. 21% lost their entire families. 81% were suffering from depression and fear and avoidance was found in 80%. 94% were suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Loss of family members, loss of property, being trapped under rubble, history of previous trauma, previous history of psychiatric illness and intensity of fear during earthquake found to be significantly associated (p<.001) with psychiatric morbidity in survivors. Conclusion: Our clinical observations of these distressed destitute women coincided with statistical findings of our research survey. These highly distressed, bereaved destitute women after this catastrophic earthquake disaster were expected to show extreme effects of traumatic stress. The findings of study reconfirm that destitute women in stress have markedly high rates of PTSD, depression, fear and avoidance.

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