Lived experiences of adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder caused by Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake: a phenomenological study

Earthquake is one of the most important natural disasters that in addition to the destructive material effects, it also brings adverse psychological consequences for the victims; one of the most important of them is post-traumatic stress disorder.

The aim of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder caused by Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake.

The method of the present study was qualitative and with a descriptive phenomenological strategy. The statistical population of the study was adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder caused by Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake in 2021. The sample consisted of 15 earthquake-stricken adolescents aged 13-19 years old with post-traumatic stress disorder who were selected by purposive sampling. The research tool was in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The obtained data were also analyzed by Colaizzi method.

Participants’ citations were recorded, analyzed and coded by Colaizzi method, and finally 83 primary codes (semantic unit), 4 main themes (themes) and 25 sub-themes (categories) were obtained. The main themes included: sudden disruption of life, psychological problems, disorder in communication functions (social / family) and challenges related to spirituality.

The findings of this study showed that adolescent’s victims of earthquakes experience various crises and problems in different aspects of life such as: mental health, family and social life and spirituality, which need attention, and professional and specialized support.