Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common outcomes in children and adolescents following natural disasters. However, because of the comorbidity of PTSD and depression, their mutual relationship affects their relative trajectories over time. Therefore, this study examined the joint trajectories of PTSD and depression and assessed their consistency over time. Using self-report questionnaires, we surveyed 303 children in the worst-affected area of the Ya’an earthquake at 6 months, 1 year, and 18 months post-disaster. Four latent joint trajectories of PTSD and depression were identified: a chronic depression-delayed PTSD symptoms group (n = 59, 19.5%), a chronic PTSD-delayed depressive symptoms group (n = 10, 3.3%), a low-symptoms group (n = 208, 68.6%), and a chronic depression-PTSD symptoms recovery group (n = 26, 8.6%). Companionship and affirmative value were more likely to be observed in the low-symptoms group. These findings illustrate that PTSD and depression development are heterogeneously distributed, and various types of social support fill different roles in differentiating distinct joint trajectories of PTSD and depression.

创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 和抑郁是儿童和青少年自然灾害后的常见结果。然而，由于 PTSD 和抑郁症的共病，它们的相互关系会随着时间的推移影响它们的相对轨迹。因此，本研究检查了 PTSD 和抑郁症的联合轨迹，并评估了它们随时间推移的一致性。我们采用自报式问卷调查了雅安地震灾后6个月、1年和18个月内雅安地震受灾最严重地区的303名儿童。确定了 PTSD 和抑郁症的四个潜在联合轨迹：慢性抑郁症延迟 PTSD 症状组 ( n  = 59, 19.5%)、慢性 PTSD 延迟抑郁症症状组 ( n  = 10, 3.3%)、低症状组( n = 208, 68.6%) 和慢性抑郁症-PTSD 症状恢复组 ( n  = 26, 8.6%)。在低症状组中更有可能观察到陪伴和肯定的价值。这些发现说明 PTSD 和抑郁症的发展呈异质性分布，不同类型的社会支持在区分 PTSD 和抑郁症的不同联合轨迹方面扮演着不同的角色。