Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We aimed to estimate the pooled incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal based on available literature and highlight the psychological effects of natural disasters that can hamper the recovery process in the aftermath of disaster. The study protoc...

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Main Authors: Prayash Paudel, Asutosh Sah, Anil Khanal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310233
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author Prayash Paudel
Asutosh Sah
Anil Khanal
author_facet Prayash Paudel
Asutosh Sah
Anil Khanal
author_sort Prayash Paudel
collection DOAJ
description We aimed to estimate the pooled incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal based on available literature and highlight the psychological effects of natural disasters that can hamper the recovery process in the aftermath of disaster. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO with reference number CRD42024576444. Electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for observational studies in English that assessed posttraumatic stress disorder at least 1 month after the earthquake via a validated tool from April 2015 to August 2024. In addition, references to the included studies were thoroughly searched. High-quality articles were included after the risk of bias assessment. The random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled incidence with a 95% confidence interval along with subgroup analysis. An analysis of 25 studies revealed a pooled incidence of 22.6%, ranging from 17.6 to 27.5%. A high degree of heterogeneity (I2 = 97.56%, p<0.001) was observed in the results, with the incidence ranging from 3% to 51%. The subgroup analyses revealed that the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder after an earthquake varied significantly across studies in terms of the time of assessment, sex, age, marital status, ethnicity, educational level, disease history, bereavement, injury to the body, witnessing death, social support, loss of property and damage to one's house. However, stratified analyses could not fully explain the heterogeneity in the results. Our analysis revealed a high incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Addressing the psychological well-being of these survivors is essential. Psychosocial counseling becomes pivotal in assisting them in coping with the trauma they have experienced since the earthquake.
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spelling doaj-art-9d08016628df4d5b84e9fe529da4e8fc2025-02-09T05:30:40ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01202e031023310.1371/journal.pone.0310233Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Prayash PaudelAsutosh SahAnil KhanalWe aimed to estimate the pooled incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal based on available literature and highlight the psychological effects of natural disasters that can hamper the recovery process in the aftermath of disaster. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO with reference number CRD42024576444. Electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for observational studies in English that assessed posttraumatic stress disorder at least 1 month after the earthquake via a validated tool from April 2015 to August 2024. In addition, references to the included studies were thoroughly searched. High-quality articles were included after the risk of bias assessment. The random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled incidence with a 95% confidence interval along with subgroup analysis. An analysis of 25 studies revealed a pooled incidence of 22.6%, ranging from 17.6 to 27.5%. A high degree of heterogeneity (I2 = 97.56%, p<0.001) was observed in the results, with the incidence ranging from 3% to 51%. The subgroup analyses revealed that the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder after an earthquake varied significantly across studies in terms of the time of assessment, sex, age, marital status, ethnicity, educational level, disease history, bereavement, injury to the body, witnessing death, social support, loss of property and damage to one's house. However, stratified analyses could not fully explain the heterogeneity in the results. Our analysis revealed a high incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Addressing the psychological well-being of these survivors is essential. Psychosocial counseling becomes pivotal in assisting them in coping with the trauma they have experienced since the earthquake.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310233
spellingShingle Prayash Paudel
Asutosh Sah
Anil Khanal
Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
PLoS ONE
title Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_full Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_fullStr Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_full_unstemmed Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_short Posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_sort posttraumatic stress disorder and associated factors in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in nepal a systematic review and meta analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310233
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AT asutoshsah posttraumaticstressdisorderandassociatedfactorsintheaftermathofthe2015earthquakeinnepalasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT anilkhanal posttraumaticstressdisorderandassociatedfactorsintheaftermathofthe2015earthquakeinnepalasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis