Mental health conditions among atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki

Honda, Sumihisa; Shibata, Yoshisada; Mine, Mariko; Imamura, Yoshihiro; Tagawa, Masuko; Nakane, Yoshibumi; Tomonaga, Masao

doi:10.1046/j.1440-1819.2002.01057.x

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…The Japanese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to identify potential poor mental health status (Goldberg et al, 1997;Honda et al 2002). Total scores ranged from 0 to 12, where higher scores indicated more symptoms of psychological distress.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Visual Display Terminal Use on the Physical and Mental Conditions of Administrative Staff in Japan

Abe

Kusano

et al. 2007

J Physiol Anthropol

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Visual display terminals (VDT) are standard equipment for many office workers. Their use, however, may increase the risk of developing adverse conditions related to vision, the musculoskeletal system, and mental health. We carried out a survey among 3070 workers aged 18 to 67 years (mean, 39.9 years) at a prefectural administrative office, in which 76% of subjects were visual display terminal (VDT) users. We examined the relationship between duration of daily VDT use and eyestrain, neck or upper extremity pain, back pain, and mental health, and estimated the effect of breaks and rest during VDT work on these symptoms. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12: total scores ranged from 0 to 12) was used to identify potential poor mental health status, and subjects with 4 or more were considered to have symptoms of psychological distress. Seventeen percent of subjects reported eyestrain, 19.1% reported upper extremity pain, 11.6% reported back pain, and 17% of subjects had GHQ-12 scores of 4 or higher. Logistic regression analysis showed that duration of daily VDT use and lack of breaks and rest during VDT work were significantly associated with eyestrain, neck or upper extremity pain, back pain, and psychological distress. In order to protect users from the adverse effects associated with VDT work, reducing daily VDT exposure, taking breaks, and rest during VDT work are important.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Visual Display Terminal Use on the Physical and Mental Conditions of Administrative Staff in Japan

Abe

Kusano

et al. 2007

J Physiol Anthropol

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“…Given the long-term psychological impact among atomic-bomb survivors (Lifton 1967; Ohta et al 2000; Honda et al 2002; Yamada and Izumi 2002; Kim et al 2011), along with anecdotal news reports and studies of volunteer populations after Fukushima, there is reason to believe that the long-term psychological and subjective health aftermath for mothers of young children will follow a similar pattern. In Ukraine, doctors often indiscriminately attributed the health concerns reported by mothers to radiation exposure from Chernobyl.…”

Section: Mothers Of Young Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional Consequences of Nuclear Power Plant Disasters

Bromet¹

2014

Health Physics

122

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The emotional consequences of nuclear power plant disasters include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and medically unexplained somatic symptoms. These effects are often long term and associated with fears about developing cancer. Research on disasters involving radiation, particularly evidence from Chernobyl, indicates that mothers of young children and cleanup workers are the highest risk groups. The emotional consequences occur independently of the actual exposure received. In contrast, studies of children raised in the shadows of the Three Mile Island (TMI) and Chernobyl accidents suggest that although their self-rated health is less satisfactory than that of their peers, their emotional, academic, and psychosocial development is comparable. The importance of the psychological impact is underscored by its chronicity and by several studies showing that poor mental health is associated with physical health conditions, early mortality, disability, and over-utilization of medical services. Given the established increase in mental health problems following TMI and Chernobyl, it is likely that the same pattern will occur in residents and evacuees affected by the Fukushima meltdowns. Preliminary data from Fukushima indeed suggest that workers and mothers of young children are at risk of depression, anxiety, psychosomatic, and post-traumatic symptoms both as a direct result of their fears about radiation exposure and an indirect result of societal stigma. Thus, it is important that nonmental health providers learn to recognize and manage psychological symptoms and that medical programs be designed to reduce stigma and alleviate psychological suffering by integrating psychiatric and medical treatment within the walls of their clinics.

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“…Several unique epidemiological studies on Nagasaki survivors have already been documented according to the exposure distance. (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11) In general, survivors who were <2.0 km from the hypocenter were exposed to a significant dose of radiation. The estimated doses in Nagasaki survivors who were not shielded at the time of explosion were 924.7 cGy at 1.0 km, 120.7 cGy at 1.5 km, 17.9 cGy at 2.0 km, and 2.9 cGy at 2.5 km from the hypocenter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of radiation on the incidence of prostate cancer among Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors

et al. 2013

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Atomic bomb survivors have been reported to have an increased risk of some cancers, especially leukemia. However, the risk of prostate cancer in atomic bomb survivors is not known to have been examined previously. This study examined the association between atomic bomb radiation and the incidence of prostate cancer among male Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors. The subjects were classified by distance from the hypocenter into a proximal group (<2 km), a distal group (≥2 km), and an early entrance group (those who entered the region <2 km from the hypocenter within 2 weeks after the explosion). Between 1996 and 2009, 631 new cases of prostate cancer were identified among approximately 18 400 male Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors who were alive in 1996. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the risk of prostate cancer development, with adjustment for age at atomic bomb explosion, attained age, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. Compared with the distal group, the proximal group had significant increased risks of total, localized, and high‐grade prostate cancer (relative risk and 95% confidence interval: 1.51 [1.21–1.89]; 1.80 [1.26–2.57]; and 1.88 [1.20–2.94], respectively). This report is the first known to reveal a significant relationship between atomic bomb radiation and prostate cancer.

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Mental health conditions among atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki

Cited by 32 publications

References 9 publications

The Influence of Visual Display Terminal Use on the Physical and Mental Conditions of Administrative Staff in Japan

The Influence of Visual Display Terminal Use on the Physical and Mental Conditions of Administrative Staff in Japan

Emotional Consequences of Nuclear Power Plant Disasters

Effects of radiation on the incidence of prostate cancer among Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors

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