Objective: To explore the influences of Yushu earthquake on Survivors’ PTSD symptoms, and to study the roles of Tibetan Buddhism religious commitment and perceived social support playing in the process. Method: Face-to-face interviews were conducted by bilingual volunteers three and a half months after the Yushu Earthquake. More than 500 survivors were investigated. Post-traumatic stress disorder checklist- specific(PCL-S) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were employed to measure survivors’ PTSD symptoms and their perceived social support; survivors’ religious belief and practices were recorded as well. Result: The extent of trauma exposure and mental health outcomes differed between Tibetan survivors and non-Tibetan ones. Trauma exposure like witnessing death, families still be missing after the earthquake, and oneself injured during the quake impacted significantly on Tibetan survivors’ subjective traumatic feelings, which induced PTSD symptoms. Women’s initial traumatic feeling and PTSD symptoms were significantly severer than men’s, and perceived social support were significant predictors of Tibetan survivors’ PTSD symptoms. The relation between religious practices and mental health among survivors were also discussed in the research. Conclusion: The more severely survivors exposed in the earthquake, the more horrified they may felt, which may be probably followed with PTSD symptoms and terrible quality of lives. Fortunately, perceived social support of survivors could relieve their PTSD symptoms. Gender and the initial traumatic feeling of Tibetan survivors were significant predictors of their PTSD symptoms. Otherwise, given the complicacy of the association between religious commitment and mental health, culture background is better to be taken into consideration during the post-disaster psychological assistant work for the recovery and reconstruction of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
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