In July 2013, a train derailment causing explosions and a fire in downtown Lac Mégantic (Municipalité Régionale de Comté du Granit, Quebec, Canada) resulted in the death of 47 people and the destruction of many homes and other buildings. This article compares the physical and psychological health of 624 adults from the Granit area exposed to this disaster three years after the tragedy, comparing based on the presence or absence of posttraumatic growth. Women, people with high levels of social support, lower levels of education, and with lower incomes were more likely to show posttraumatic growth. For psychological health, the presence of post-traumatic stress symptoms and the use of antidepressants were positively related to posttraumatic growth. Our study demonstrates that, over time, many people managed to initiate a recovery process and to see benefits from this disaster.

Danielle Maltais, Anne-Lise Lansard, Mathieu Roy, Mélissa Généreux, Geneviève Fortin, Jacques Cherblanc, Christiane Bergeron-Leclerc et Eve Pouliot