Quake survey: Victims worried but optimistic

By Chen Qian  |   2008-6-13  |     ONLINE EDITION

QUAKE victims are optimistic about their future but still worry about safety especially aftershocks, a survey shows.

Horizonkey.com, a leading domestic consulting and research institute, surveyed 889 victims in six areas of Sichuan Province and found 46 percent of those surveyed expect their lives will return to normal within six months.

As many as 81 percent of those surveyed whose houses did not collapse, and 51 percent of those whose houses collapsed during the quake thought it will take them less than two years to return to normal life.

Their optimism was inspired by the rapid rescue and aid efforts of the government and the public, analysts from the institute said. But during the interviews, about half of the victims said they remained afraid of aftershocks above disease and quake lakes.

The survey also found under 10 percent of the victims had received psychological counseling.

About 67 percent of the adults questioned reported being under extreme stress and 33 percent suffered serious depression after the quake. More than 42 percent of those under 17 suffered psychological trauma, the survey said.

Analysts said many of the victims did not realize they needed moral support. As well as psychologists, teachers, neighbors, colleagues any volunteers can help after training, analysts suggested.

More than 80 percent of the victims who received psychological intervention said it had helped them greatly. Victims believed that children, especially those who had lost family members or friends or were disabled after the quake needed psychological support most.

Among the 889 interviewees, more than 534 people, most above 36, knew nothing or only a little about how to behave in an earthquake. Respondents said their knowledge about earthquakes came from conversations, newspapers, the Internet and books. Few mentioned school education or government publicity.