The psychosocial impact of two non-destructive earthquakes on pupils in Cephalonia island: a comparison with the Athens earthquake of September 1999

ABSTRACTBackground: Natural disasters may have a serious impact on child and adolescent mental health. High rates of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and, to a lesser degree, associated psychopathology following natural disasters have been reported in many countries, including Greece. It has been suggested that whether or not youths will report PTSS/PTSD after a traumatic experience depends on different factors, such as the experienced threat to life, severity of exposure, pre-existing psychopathology, parental reactions to the traumatic experience, and adequacy of the care provided (e.g. Furr et al., 2010, Kilic et al., 2003). Greece is a country where earthquakes occur frequently and sometimes may be destructive. On 7 September 1999, a disastrous earthquake occurred in Athens which was followed by 4000 aftershocks and resulted in 143 deaths, more than 400 injuries and damage to approximately 75,000 households. One hundred and fifteen schoolchildren who lived a...