Psychological Recovery 5 Years After the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake in Yamakoshi, Japan

Abstract

BackgroundThe 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake of Japan caused considerable damage. We assessed long-term changes in psychological distress among earthquake victims during the period 5 years after the earthquake.MethodsThe participants were people aged 18 years or older living in Yamakoshi, a community in Niigata Prefecture near the epicenter. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted annually for 5 consecutive years after the earthquake. Response rates were 1316/1841 (71.5%) in 2005, 667/1381 (48.3%) in 2006, 753/1451 (51.9%) in 2007, 541/1243 (43.5%) in 2008, and 814/1158 (70.3%) in 2009. The questionnaire asked about demographic characteristics, including sex, age, employment status, social network, and psychological status. Psychological distress was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire and was defined as a total score of 4 or higher.ResultsThe overall prevalence of psychological distress decreased (P < 0.0001) gradually from 2005 (51.0%) to 2008 (30.1%) but tended to increase from 2008 to 2009 (P = 0.1590). Subgroup analyses showed that prevalence did not decrease over the 5-year study period among participants with poor social contact (P = 0.0659). From 2008 to 2009 prevalence increased in women (+7.5%, P = 0.0403) and participants aged 65 years or older (+7.2%, P = 0.0400).ConclusionsThe prevalence of psychological distress in Yamakoshi people decreased steadily during the 4 years immediately after the earthquake but appeared to increase thereafter. The earthquake victims are still reestablishing their lives. Thus, continued attention should be focused on maintaining and further assessing their mental health.

Sources of perceived social support associated with reduced psychological distress at 1 year after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Nationwide cross‐sectional survey in 2012

“…Women with house‐damage certification had higher psychological distress, which seems in line with other earthquake literature . In the present study, the difference between women and men did not result from differences in observed characteristics included in the regression model.…”

“…The present study may highlight underreported high‐risk populations for post‐disaster psychological distress: that is, the general population, not limited to people with house damage, if they lack sources of perceived social support. The present study also suggests that support from neighbors was as important as that from family at 1 year after the disaster, which expands the findings from highly struck regions or relocated people to the general population.…”

“…One strength of the present report is that this was a crucial 1‐year post‐disaster report on negatively associated factors of psychological distress . Second, the dataset recruited a large national sample that matched the basic demographics in the five dimensions to the Japan census.…”

“…To develop appropriate health‐care programs that consider heterogeneity in a population, factors that are positively and negatively associated with psychological distress are of great interest. Female sex, marital status, and employment status were reported as associated factors with higher psychological distress in the aftermath of other earthquakes . In Japan, psychological distress was higher among those who were younger, single, unemployed, or those with disrupted social support .…”

“…The prevalence of psychological distress has been found to be high in the immediate post‐disaster period, and increases in the year following a major event. Distress was still high even 1–5 years after the majority of the earthquakes had ended . Psychological distress among general population in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, however, has been underreported compared to other problems reported within 1 year of the disaster, such as post‐traumatic stress disorder or psychological distress among rescue workers …”