Disasters and the Disablement Process framework: an analysis of the great east Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011

Abstract

This study used the Disablement Process framework to examine how exposure to the great east Japan earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 was related to elders’ experiences of disability—that is, ‘a gap between personal capability and environmental demand’ (Verbrugge and Jette, 1994, p. 1). Data were derived from two waves (2009 and 2013) of the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging, involving a representative sample of citizens aged 65 or more. Logistic regression was employed to model how the disaster was associated with the prevalence and incidence of disability. A significant relationship was documented between the two. Those impacted by the event exhibited greater odds of reporting a disability in 2013 and developing one between 2009 and 2013. Disasters destroy social infrastructure and disrupt daily life, widening the lacuna between the environment and personal resources. Given the increasing number of disasters, more policy attention should be directed to reducing their adverse consequences for health.

“I Wish I Could Have My Leg”: A Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Individuals With Lower Limb Amputation

“…The main goal of the DPM is to encourage individuals to be as independent as personal and environmental factors will allow (Verbrugge, 2020; Verbrugge & Jette, 1994). Although this model was not originally developed explicitly for individuals with amputation, the framework closely aligns with disablement processes and serves as an informative guide to explore factors that lead to positive outcomes in the face of a disablement process (Lane et al, 2020; Minagawa & Saito, 2021; Wray et al, 2021). Amputation processes has not been specifically described in the framework, whereas the individualized process of disability was specifically described in the DPM (Verbrugge, 2020; Verbrugge & Jette, 1994).…”