Indelible Grief: Prevalence and Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Shidu Parents 6 Years After the Wenchuan Earthquake

A unique group of Chinese earthquake victims, known as Shidu parents, lost their only child in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in these Shidu parents 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake and to explore the related risk factors. A cross-sectional sample survey was conducted to collect data in the most severely earthquake affected counties (n = 176). The PTSD prevalence in the Shidu parents was found to be 83.5 %, with the risk factors identified as being of Han ethnicity, having lost a young child (18-27 years old), having lost a male child, living in the countryside and having received low social support (p < 0.05, 95 % CI). Mental health recovery interventions are recommended for Shidu parents suffering from PTSD.