Delayed Increase in Male Suicide Rates in Tsunami Disaster-Stricken Areas following the Great East Japan Earthquake: A Three-Year Follow-Up Study in Miyagi Prefecture

Abstract

Devastating natural disasters and their aftermath are known to cause psychological distress. However, little information is available regarding suicide rates following tsunami disasters that destroy regional social services and networks. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the tsunami disaster following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 has influenced suicide rates. The study period was from March 2009 to February 2014. Tsunami disaster-stricken areas were defined as the 16 municipalities facing the Pacific Ocean in Miyagi Prefecture. Inland areas were defined as other municipalities in Miyagi that were damaged by the earthquake. Suicide rates in the tsunami disasterstricken areas were compared to national averages, using a time-series analysis and the Poisson distribution test. In tsunami disaster-stricken areas, male suicide rates were significantly lower than the national average during the initial post-disaster period and began to increase after two years. Likewise, male suicide rates in the inland areas decreased for seven months, and then increased to exceed the national average. In contrast, female post-disaster suicide rates did not change in both areas compared to the national average. Importantly, the male suicide rates in the inland areas started to increase earlier compared to the tsunami-stricken areas, which may reflect the relative deficiency of mental healthcare services in the inland areas. Considering the present status that many survivors from the tsunami disaster still live in temporary housing and face various challenges to rebuild their lives, we should continue intensive, long-term mental healthcare services in the tsunami-stricken areas.

Periodontal Disease Is Associated with Insomnia among Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake: A Panel Study Initiated Three Months after the Disaster

“…Although specific reasons for the highest prevalence of insomnia in the middle-aged group were not determined in this study, previous studies indicated that the psychological stress and depressive reactions among the disaster victims after GEJE was distinctly observed in the middle-aged group (Koyama et al 2014;Matsubara et al 2014). Evident from the delayed increase of suicide rates in middle-aged GEJE victims in the disaster-affected areas (Orui et al 2015), continuous and intensive healthcare services are worth considering in support of these people.…”

Current Psychological Distress, Post-traumatic Stress, and Radiation Health Anxiety Remain High for Those Who Have Rebuilt Permanent Homes Following the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

“…This may have been affected by the consequential increased financial hardship among evacuees. Cutting social ties once again for evacuees after removing their temporary housing may also have been an influence due to relocation to another residence [ 31 , 32 ]. In our findings, even if evacuees had rebuilt their permanent home, it was considered that psychological distress remained at an equivalent level to those who were continuing evacuation as the termination of free temporary housing may have caused loss of social ties or financial hardship.…”

Suicide Rates in Evacuation Areas After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

“…Moreover, we observed similar changes in suicide rates as reported by other previous studies concerning the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, as well as the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami disaster. Specifically, suicide rates decreased immediately after the disaster, with a subsequent increase over the course of roughly 1.5–2 years ( Nishio et al., 2009 ; Ohto, Maeda, Yabe, Yasumura, & Bromet, 2015 ; Orui et al., 2015 ). While the delayed increase in suicide rates is a consistent finding in this and other studies, we also observed gender differences in the present study.…”