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Health-Related Quality of Life in the Aftermath of the L’Aquila Earthquake in Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

Antonella Gigantesco ,
Paolo D’Argenio ,
Vincenza Cofini ,
Cristiana Mancini  and
Valentina Minardi
Antonella Gigantesco*
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute of Health, Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy
Paolo D’Argenio
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute of Health, Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy
Vincenza Cofini
Affiliation:
Università de L’Aquila, Department of Internal Medicine and Public Health, L’Aquila, Italy
Cristiana Mancini
Affiliation:
ASL Avezzano-Sulmona-L’Aquila, Department of Prevention and Public Health, L’Aquila, Italy.
Valentina Minardi
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute of Health, Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Antonella Gigantesco, Italian National Institute of Health, Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Viale Regina Elena, Rome, Italy (e-mail: antonella.gigantesco@iss.it).
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Abstract

Objective

A recent article reported a reduction in the suicide rate in the inhabitants of L’Aquila (Italy) in 2009, when on the night of April 6, a devastating earthquake struck the city. The potential implications of the role of resilience in the aftermath of natural disasters, together with the limitations of existing evidence on this topic, suggest a need for more research. We aimed to retrospectively investigate the impact of the L’Aquila earthquake on a standardized self-reported measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods

HRQoL data were collected through 2 separate cross-sectional surveys conducted during 2008 and 2010, before and after the earthquake that occurred in 2009, on 2 random samples of adults living in L’Aquila.

Results

The data seemed to suggest no decrease in the inhabitants’ HRQoL level after the disaster, which may suggest the role of resilience in supporting survivors’ HRQoL. The findings were also consistent with previous observations of a reduction in the suicide rate in the same inhabitants after the earthquake.

Conclusions

After a natural disaster, people likely activate personal resources and protective social factors that result in better subjective outcomes. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:11-15)

Keywords

earthquakesepidemiological monitoringmental disordersresiliencepsychological
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 2016 , pp. 11 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2015 

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