1862 - TRAJECTORIES OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS AMONG ADOLESCENTS AFTER SUPER TYPHOON "YAGI": A THREE-WAVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Session: D08S0036 - Trauma, Violence & Mental Health 3
AUTHORS:
Fan Weilin (East China Normal University ~ Shanghai ~ China) , Liang Yiming (East China Normal University ~ Shanghai ~ China)
Abstract text:
Background :In 2024, Super Typhoon "Yagi" made landfall in Hainan, causing severe damage. Understanding adolescents' psychological symptoms after typhoons is crucial for future disaster prevention and mitigation efforts in mental health, yet most existing studies on post-typhoon post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) trajectories have predominantly focused on adult populations.


Objective: The current study examined the trajectories of PTSS among adolescents after exposure to the super typhoon and explored potential predictors of distinct PTSS trajectories.


Methods: At 1, 6, and 12 months after the disaster, three waves of offline surveys were conducted with 870 adolescents (58.7% female, M age = 16.12, SD = 0.44) from the most severely affected areas in Hainan Province. The trajectories were identified with Latent Growth Mixture Modelling, and the predictors were explored with multinomial logistic regression.


Results: The following four latent PTSS trajectories were found among adolescent: resilience (78.6%), recovery (6.4%), moderate-stable(10.9%) and delayed dysfunction (4.1%). Adolescents who reinforced doors and windows before the typhoon, had higher knowledge of the destructive power of super typhoons, perceived stronger family worry during the event, and received peer support afterwards were more likely to follow a resilience trajectory. Higher knowledge of the typhoon's severity was related to a moderate-stable trajectory, stronger perceptions of family fear during the typhoon were related to a delayed dysfunction trajectory, and a higher number of typhoon-related exposure events was related to either a moderate-stable or a recovery trajectory.


Conclusion: These findings deepen the understanding of adolescents' psychological symptom trajectories, highlighting the importance of pre-disaster preparedness, knowledge about super typhoons, perception of family members' emotional and peer support. The study provides valuable insights for tailoring targeted psychological interventions based on distinct adaptation patterns.