Factors relating to the mental health of women who were pregnant at the time of the Great East Japan earthquake: analysis from month 10 to month 48 after the earthquake

Abstract

BackgroundThe Great East Japan Earthquake occurred at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011. The epicenter was off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, and the magnitude of the earthquake was 9.0 with a maximum seismic intensity of 7.0. Although it has already been four years, victims continue to have complex problems. In the stricken areas of Miyagi prefecture, almost ten percent of the residents continue to live in temporary housing. Life altering events that force relocation and a change of living environment are known to adversely affect mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the mental health of mothers of infants who experienced this disaster in Miyagi prefecture.MethodsWe conducted a survey using The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (10 months) and The General Health Questionnaire-28, an efficient screening tool for psychiatric distress. Eight hundred eighty-six mothers of children born from February to October, 2011 in Miyagi prefecture were surveyed 10, 16, 24, 36 and 48 months after the disaster. Data were analyzed with the use of SPSS 21.0 J for Windows. The study was approval by the review board of ethics at Tohoku University.ResultsThe questionnaire was answered by the following number of mothers at the specified months after the disaster: 677 at 10 months, 384 at 16 months, 351 at 24 months, 250 at 36 months and 193 at 48 months. Results at all time periods indicated a high prevalence of psychiatric distress among the mothers surveyed. The percentage of Japanese adults with high-risk GHQ-28 scores is 14 %, thus psychological distress among the subjects in the present study is considerably more widespread. General Health Questionnaire-28 scores were significantly higher for those mothers experiencing dissatisfaction in their marital relationships. We found that mothers have experienced severe mental distress since the disaster, which we think is a possible cause of depression that is leading to poor mental health.ConclusionThe results indicate that the upheaval caused by the tsunami affected the mental health of the mothers. Psychological distress continued to be prevalent up to four years after the disaster. Different factors were found to be associated with their distress. The most common issues were economic problems, dissatisfaction in the marital relationship, and no support with childcare.

Development and application of a large‐scale disaster preparedness system in the perinatal field

“…Pregnant women and newborns are vulnerable in times of disaster, and recent large‐scale disasters in various locations worldwide have had a major impact on these patient groups 4–9 . Several studies have reported higher rates of preterm births and low‐birth‐weight infants during large‐scale disasters 10–12 .…”

Postpartum Mental Health of Mothers in Fukushima: Insights From the Fukushima Health Management Survey’s 8-year Trends

“…Well-known factors frequently associated with postpartum depression in a normal setting, both in Japan and overseas, include obstetrical history 22 , 38 (eg, maternal age, 28 , 31 first delivery, miscarriage and stillbirth, 15 cesarean section, and presence of congenital anomalies in the child), as well as economic status, 27 , 32 , 34 , 38 , 39 partner support, 30 , 33 , 40 family relationships, 38 lack of childcare support, 27 negative feelings toward pregnancy, 25 and a lack of maternal affection toward their child. 25 , 38 Miscarriage and stillbirth were shown to be associated with depressive symptoms both in the primary survey for FY 2011, 15 and in the 8-year period FY 2011–2018.…”

Cervical cancer screening rates before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake in the Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

“…The health of women, especially pregnant women, has been investigated in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake [22][23][24]; however, no research has been conducted with regard to cancer screening. In the present study, we first clarified the difference in the CCS-R of the Miyagi Prefecture before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake.…”