Impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Caregiver Burden: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sawa, Minoru; Takase, Masayuki; Noju, Kazumasa; Tomiyasu, Tetsuya; Kawakami, Chieko; Koishikawa, Hiraki; Osaki, Yoneatsu; Kishimoto, Takuji

doi:10.1176/appi.ps.000802012

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Following the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, reduction in the number of medical personnel, including nurses, has been reported in disaster-affected areas. 12 In a survey targeting nurses working at a university hospital, conducted 2 years after the disaster, a large number of nurses had considered leaving their jobs because of “anxiety about life after the accident,” “possible radiation health effects in children,” and “anxiety about relationships with colleagues in the hospital.” 13 Few studies have reported that the work of public health nurses or caregivers can be highly stressful compared with that of the general population 14,15 ; however, no study has specifically focused on the mental health of hospital nurses and how differences in radiation knowledge, risk perceptions, or other stress-related aspects influence their mental health. Furthermore, there is no report regarding coping strategies for their mental health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health and Related Factors of Hospital Nurses

Nukui

Murakami

Midorikawa

et al. 2017

Asia Pac J Public Health

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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.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health and Related Factors of Hospital Nurses

Nukui

Murakami

Midorikawa

et al. 2017

Asia Pac J Public Health

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“…WHO reported that mental, psychological and central nervous system effects following the Chernobyl accident were due to the mental stress from fear of radiation exposure [ 38 ]. The same thing has been occurring again after the Fukushima incident [ 39 ]. There are serious concerns about mental health in relation to the Fukushima incident, including stress-related symptoms, and a potentially elevated suicide rate in Fukushima clean-up workers.…”

Section: Risk Communicationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Public health activities for mitigation of radiation exposures and risk communication challenges after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Shimura

Yamaguchi

Terada

et al. 2015

Journal of Radiation Research

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Herein we summarize the public health actions taken to mitigate exposure of the public to radiation after the Fukushima accident that occurred on 11 March 2011 in order to record valuable lessons learned for disaster preparedness. Evacuations from the radiation-affected areas and control of the distribution of various food products contributed to the reduction of external and internal radiation exposure resulting from the Fukushima incident. However, risk communication is also an important issue during the emergency response effort and subsequent phases of dealiing with a nuclear disaster. To assist with their healing process, sound, reliable scientific information should continue to be disseminated to the radiation-affected communities via two-way communication. We will describe the essential public health actions following a nuclear disaster for the early, intermediate and late phases that will be useful for radiological preparedness planning in response to other nuclear or radiological disasters.

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“…40,46,78,89 Control groups were used in 13 studies (16.5%). 16,17,26,30,41,42,48,50,55,62,64,70,71 Most of the studies were based on responses from selfadministered questionnaires (68; 89.4%). Seven studies (9.2%) used medical records retrospectively for their data.…”

Section: Quality Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These rates tended to be higher in control groups that were unaffected by the nuclear disaster. 17,42,48,55,70,71 Only a single study performed a diagnostic interview to measure the prevalence of mental disorders; among the 168 local government workers, the rates for depression and PTSD were 17.9% and 4.8%, respectively. 43 Nishi et al used the government provided statistical data to measure the PD of the residents of the Fukushima prefecture in comparison to the rest of Japan, before and after the disaster.…”

Section: Summary Of the Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health consequences for survivors of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a systematic review. Part 1: psychological consequences

et al. 2020

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To integrate scholastic literature regarding the prevalence and characteristics of the psychological consequences faced by survivors of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster, we conducted a systematic review of survivor studies concerning the Fukushima disaster. In August 2019, four literature databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and ICHUSHI) were used in the literature search. Peer-reviewed manuscripts reporting psychological consequences, either in English or Japanese, were selected. A total of 79 studies were selected for the review. Twenty-four studies (30.4%) were conducted as part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey—large-scale cohort study recruiting the residents of the entire Fukushima prefecture. Study outcomes were primarily nonspecific psychological distress, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. The rates of high-risk individuals determined by the studies varied significantly owing to methodological differences. Nevertheless, these rates were mostly high (nonspecific psychological distress, 8.3%-65.1%; depressive symptoms, 12%-52.0%; and post-traumatic stress symptoms, 10.5%-62.6%). Many studies focused on vulnerable populations such as children, mothers of young children, evacuees, and nuclear power plant workers. However, few studies reported on the intervention methods used or their effect on the survivors. As a conclusion, high rates of individuals with psychological conditions, as well as a wide range of mental conditions, were reported among the Fukushima nuclear disaster survivors in the first 8 years after the disaster. These findings demonstrate the substantial impact of this compound disaster, especially in the context of a nuclear catastrophe.

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Impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Caregiver Burden: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract: A statistically significant difference in emotional stress was observed among caregivers who were forced to evacuate after the earthquake.

Cited by 10 publications

References 8 publications

Mental Health and Related Factors of Hospital Nurses

Mental Health and Related Factors of Hospital Nurses

Public health activities for mitigation of radiation exposures and risk communication challenges after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Mental health consequences for survivors of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a systematic review. Part 1: psychological consequences

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