Six years after the wave. Trajectories of posttraumatic stress following a natural disaster

•Exposure severity and bereavement are powerful determinants for long-term posttraumatic stress.•The resilient trajectory, which comprised a majority of the survivors, reported higher levels of long-term posttraumatic stress than a comparison group.•Among those who recover, the recovery process still persists after several years.•A substantial proportion of survivors (16%) display chronic symptoms.