Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T20:10:41.173Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Long-term Follow-up of Affected Residents After Lifting Evacuation Orders in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan: Findings from an Interview-Based Psychological Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2021

Yujiro Kuroda Open the ORCID record for Yujiro Kuroda [Opens in a new window]  and
Yohei Koyama
Yujiro Kuroda*
Affiliation:
Research Department, Fukushima Prefectural Centre for Environmental Creation, Fukushima, Japan Center for Integrated Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
Yohei Koyama
Affiliation:
Center for Integrated Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Yujiro Kuroda, Email: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We examined the relationship between social support and psychological variables, and investigated the status of social support among villagers whose evacuation order had been lifted. The survey used for the analysis is the data of FY 2018 and 2019. In fiscal year 2018, a written questionnaire was posted to 4828 registered residents of Iitate Village and 1405 valid responses were received. The main finding (in joint assessment by local and external experts) was the ‘need for professional support’ (191 respondents, 13.6%). Multivariate analysis found that among those living in permanent housing outside the village, the need for support was significantly more likely for those without emotional support, or instrumental support, and those not providing support. The 2019 follow-up showed a slight improvement in perceived social support (PSS). The associations between perceived social support and living environment suggest the need to strengthen social support measures in areas where evacuation orders are yet to be lifted, which will provide useful information with which to examine the effects of future support efforts.

Keywords

social supportpsychological/behavioural medicineprofessional supportdisaster public healthsocial determinants of health
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 1545 - 1551
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ishikawa, T. Radiation doses and associated risk from the Fukushima nuclear accident. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2017;29(2_suppl):18S-28S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hikichi, H, Sawada, Y, Tsuboya, T, et al. Residential relocation and change in social capital: A natural experiment from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Sci Adv. 2017;3(7):e1700426.Google ScholarPubMed
Aldrich, DP. The power of people: Social capital’s role in recovery from the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Nat Hazards. 2011;56:595-611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matsuyama, Y, Aida, J, Hase, A, et al. Do community- and individual-level social relationships contribute to the mental health of disaster survivors? A multilevel prospective study after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Soc Sci Med. 2016;151:187-195.Google Scholar
Tsuchiya, N, Nakaya, N, Nakamura, T, et al. Impact of social capital on psychological distress and interaction with house destruction and displacement after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017;71(1):52-60.Google ScholarPubMed
Iwasa, H, Moriyama, N, Kuroda, Y, et al. Recovery from radiation anxiety and posttraumatic growth among community dwellers after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Cogent Psychol. 2019;6(1):160297, DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2019.1602970.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuroda, Y, Koyama, Y. Relationship between psychological factors and social support after lifting of evacuation order in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Behav Sci (Basel). 2020;10(10):149.10.3390/bs10100149CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuroda, Y, Koyama, Y, Noriko, S. Farming as a purpose of life as well as a business: Rethinking the reconstruction of food and agriculture in Fukushima after the nuclear accident: Proceedings of the IAEA Consultancy Meeting; Fukushima, Japan. 28–30 May, 2019.Google Scholar
Chiba, E, Koshin, M. Iitate-Mura Wa Makenai: Tsuchi to Hito No Mirai No Tame Ni (Iitate village will not give up: For the future of humanity and the native soil). Iwanami book; Tokyo, Japan. 2012.Google Scholar
Kuroda, Y, Iwasa, H, Orui, M, et al. Risk Factor for Incident Functional Disability and the Effect of a Preventive Exercise Program: A 4-Year Prospective Cohort Study of Older Survivors from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(7):1430.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bromet, EJ, Havenaar, JM, Guey, LT. A 25 year retrospective review of the psychological consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2011;23(4):297-305.Google ScholarPubMed
Tsubokura, M, Takita, M, Matsumura, T, et al. Changes in metabolic profiles after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A retrospective observational study. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuroda, Y, Iwasa, H, Orui, M, et al. Risk factor for incident functional disability and the effect of a preventive exercise program: A 4-year prospective cohort study of older survivors from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(7):1430.Google ScholarPubMed
Cherry, KE, Sampson, L, Nezat, PF, Cacamo, A, Marks, LD, Galea, S. Long-term psychological outcomes in older adults after disaster: Relationships to religiosity and social support. Aging Ment Health. 2015;19(5):430-443.Google ScholarPubMed
Geng, F, Zhou, Y, Liang, Y, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder and psychiatric comorbidity among adolescent earthquake survivors: A longitudinal cohort study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019;47(4):671-681.Google ScholarPubMed
Agyapong, VIO, Juhas, M, Omege, J, et al. Prevalence rates and correlates of likely post-traumatic stress disorder in residents of Fort McMurray 6 months after a wildfire. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2019;19:632-650.Google Scholar
Kuroda, Y, Iwasa, H, Goto, A, et al. Occurrence of depressive tendency and associated social factors among elderly persons forced by the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster to live as long-term evacuees: A prospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2017;7(9):e014339.Google ScholarPubMed
Kuroda, Y. Public health activities contributing to recovery of life after nuclear emergency: Lessons from working with Iitate people. J Public Heal Pract. 2017;81(4):328-334.Google Scholar
McGuire, AP, Gauthier, JM, Anderson, LM, et al. Social support moderates effects of natural disaster exposure on depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: Effects for displaced and nondisplaced residents. J Trauma Stress. 2018;31(2):223-233.10.1002/jts.22270CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnberg, FK, Hultman, CM, Michel, PO, Lundin, T. Social support moderates posttraumatic stress and general distress after disaster. J Trauma Stress. 2012;25(6):721-727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oe, M, Takahashi, H, Maeda, M, et al. Changes of posttraumatic stress responses in evacuated residents and their related factors. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2017;29(2_suppl):182S-192S.10.1177/1010539516680733CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suzuki, Y, Yabe, H, Yasumura, S, et al. Psychological distress and the perception of radiation risks: The Fukushima health management survey. Bull World Health Organ. 2015;93(9):598-605.Google ScholarPubMed
Murakami, M, Sato, A, Matsui, S, et al. Communicating with residents about risks following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2017;29(2_suppl):74S-89S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orui, M, Harada, S, Hayashi, M. disaster mental health team of the Sendai City Mental Health and Welfare Center. Practical report on long-term disaster mental health services following the Great East Japan Earthquake: Psychological and social background of evacuees in sendai city in the mid- to long-term post-disaster period. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2017;11(4):439-450.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muraoka, Y, Oichi, A, Ihara, K. The physical and psychological and social background factor of elderly depression in the community. Jpn J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1996;7:397-407.Google Scholar
Reblin, M, Uchino, BN. Social and emotional support and its implication for health. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2008;21(2):201-205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Iwasa, H, Takebayashi, Y, Suzuki, Y, et al. Psychometric evaluation of the simplified Japanese version of the Athens Insomnia Scale: The Fukushima Health Management Survey. J Sleep Res. 2019;28(2):e12771.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bland, SH, O’Leary, ES, Farinaro, E, Jossa, F, Trevisan, M. Long-term psychological effects of natural disasters. Psychosom Med. 1996;58(1):18-24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kario, K. Disaster hypertension - its characteristics, mechanism, and management. Circ J. 2012;76(3):553-562.10.1253/circj.CJ-11-1510CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nishinoue, N, Takano, T, Kaku, A, et al. Effects of sleep hygiene education and behavioral therapy on sleep quality of white-collar workers: A randomized controlled trial. Ind Health. 2012;50(2):123-131.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soleimani, F, Motaarefi, H, Hasanpour-Dehkordi, A. Effect of sleep hygiene education on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(12):LC01-LC04.Google ScholarPubMed