Survivors look with hope to the future

By Chen Qian  |   2008-6-14  |     NEWSPAPER 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 expect their lives to 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 would take them less than two years to return to a 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 - more so than of disease and quake lakes.

The survey also found under 10 percent of the victims had received psychological counseling. About 67 percent of the adults 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.

Analysts said many of the victims did not realize they needed support.

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 the most psychological support.