Investigating Psychological Trauma Among the 2010 Haiti Earthquake Survivors Who Have Relocated to Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract

This study investigates the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms among the 2010 Haiti earthquake survivors who have relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. It addresses the following questions:

1) Are symptoms of PTSD and MDD related to the earthquake present among survivors who have relocated to the Boston area?

2) How does this population use mental health treatment?

3) If PTSD and MDD symptoms are present, how do they relate to the earthquake-related trauma experienced by the immigrant survivors?

4) Is there an association between the severity of PTSD symptoms and the severity of MDD symptoms among the survivors?

A total of fifty earthquake survivors participated in this study. They each completed a demographic questionnaire, a trauma exposure survey, a PTSD checklist (PCL-C-Civilian version) and a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Those who met criteria for PTSD and MDD completed an additional questionnaire designed to investigate how they coped with their symptoms.

The results of this study indicate that 24% of the participants meet criteria for PTSD and 74% for MDD according to the cutoffs that were established based on previous research. It was found that none of those participants who met criteria for PTSD and/or MDD had consulted a mental health professional. The study also found a positive association between the severity of PTSD diagnosis, MDD diagnosis, and certain exposures to trauma. Those who were older, lost family members and friends, or were physically injured in the earthquake scored higher on the BDI. Those participants who lost their homes, lost immediate family members and friends, or were physically injured scored higher on the PCL-C. Finally, the study results showed a strong positive correlation between PTSD and MDD symptoms among the participants. 92% of those meeting criteria for PTSD also met criteria for MDD and 32% of those meeting criteria for MDD also met criteria for PTSD.