Work-related mental health impairment is recognized as a real problem in the context of helping responders, including health professionals, due to adverse health outcomes after a severe disaster. The Great East-Japan Earthquake, which occurred on 11 March 2011, was an unprecedented complex disaster that caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). In addition to disaster stress and daily work, medical and health-care professionals, particularly nurses, provided counseling services to residents concerned about radiation health risks or mental health issues. This review focuses on the psychological aspects of the complex nuclear disaster, which was a combined artificial nuclear accident and natural disaster, and we investigated the psychological effects on hospital nurses associated with their experiences during the disaster. We looked at several investigations into the mental health of nurses after a nuclear disaster and in other situations. It was shown that mental health of nurses is impacted, not only after nuclear disasters but also in other circumstances. Furthermore, we noted the effects of extended periods of a heavy workload and daily life. Regarding anxiety about radiation exposure, nurses who had more knowledge of radiation tended to have better mental health, suggesting that education about the health risks of radiation exposure is important for health-care professionals. In summary, it is essential that nurses are provided with education about radiation exposure and its associated health risks, and also that there is a comprehensive approach to mental health care for nurses during the chronic phase of a disaster.

The mental health of hospital nurses is a key health issue in public health promotion during the recovery phase following the Fukushima disaster. In this study, conducted 4 years after the disaster, we analyzed the overall mental health, knowledge, risk perception of radiation, and work and daily life burdens of nurses working at medical institutions in the Fukushima Prefecture (collection rate = 89.6%; response number = 730). Overall mental health status was estimated using the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, and 333 respondents (45.6%) scored above the 12-item General Health Questionnaire threshold point (≥4), indicating probable emotional distress compared with the general population under normal circumstances. Multivariate logistic analysis suggested that the ability to cope with daily life and work-related stressors were more important than risk perception and acquisition of knowledge regarding radiation and its control methods for supporting the mental health of nurses following the Fukushima disaster.

As a result of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) on 11 March 2011, a huge amount of radionuclides, including radiocesium, was released and spread over a wide area of eastern Japan. Although three years have passed since the accident, residents around the FNPP are anxious about internal radiation exposure due to radiocesium. In this study, we screened internal radiation exposure doses in Iwaki city of Fukushima prefecture, using a whole-body counter. The first screening was conducted from October 2012 to February 2013, and the second screening was conducted from May to November 2013. Study participants were employees of ALPINE and their families who underwent examination. A total of 2,839 participants (1,366 men and 1,473 women, 1–86 years old) underwent the first screening, and 2,092 (1,022 men and 1,070 women, 1–86 years old) underwent the second screening. The results showed that 99% of subjects registered below 300 Bq per body in the first screening, and all subjects registered below 300 Bq per body in the second screening. The committed effective dose ranged from 0.01–0.06 mSv in the first screening and 0.01–0.02 mSv in the second screening. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to avoid unnecessary chronic internal exposure and to reduce anxiety among the residents by communicating radiation health risks.