Survivors' self-expressed mental health needs following China's 2008 Szechuan earthquake

Two weeks after the 8.0 magnitude earthquake which killed more than 90,000 people in Sichuan Province, China, a team of 20 trained staff from the National Institute for Health Education interviewed 639 survivors in five temporary shelter towns concerning their emotional and physical reactions to the earthquake, satisfaction with present conditions, needs to relieve emotional and physical reactions and sources and channels for getting needed information. 95% had lost homes, 18% had lost or injured children, 10% had lost or injured parents/spouses, 43% had lost/injured relatives. On the basis of a self-reported checklist residents were classified as experiencing light, medium or severe mental health stress. Of these survivors 91% were satisfied with temporary residences but wanted assurance of continuity; 73% wanted somebody to talk to about their personal experiences. Family members and friends were most commonly identified as the person to talk to. Fewer than half wanted professional help. However, those experiencing the most severe mental health stress were more likely to express a need for professional assistance. These survivors wanted information on relieving their own anxieties and fears and wanted to know how to help others manager theirs. After personal communication, they identified printed materials and mass media (radio and TV) as their preferred sources of information. Results suggest that immediate mental health stress could be significantly reduced by activating self-help networks and providing information on understanding personal feelings and basic coping skills while reserving mental health specialists' time for those experiencing the most severe mental health stress.