Mental-health status, resilience factor and recognitions of the great-east-Japan-earthquake and nuclear accident at Fukushima

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the relations between mental-health and resilience and recognition of the great-east-Japan-earthquake and nuclear-power-plant accident at Fukushima among residents of the Greater Tokyo Area two-year after disaster. A cross-sectional web-based questionnaire research was conducted with 1,000 men and women who were in the age group of 25-49 on March, 2013. 954 who lived in the area on March 11, 2011 were for analysis. 20 items of recognition of the great-east-Japan-earthquake and nuclear-accident were created newly. Mental-health was measured by K10, and sense of coherence was measured as resilience factor indicator. Three factors were extracted from 10-earthquake-related-item; ‘positive changes by great-east-Japan-earthquake’, ‘concern about next great earthquake (concern)’ and ‘efficacy for disaster evacuation (efficacy)’. Also, three factors were from 10-nuclear-accident-related-item; ‘self-restriction of living activities from nuclear accident (self-restriction)’, ‘anxiety for radiation exposure (anxiety)’ and ‘shortage of radiation exposure literacy’. Furthermore, there were significant (p<.01) partial-correlation-coefficients between resilience and sub-scales except ‘self-restriction’, and between mental-health and ‘concern’, ‘efficacy’ and ‘anxiety’. The strength of resilience related efficacy of disaster evacuation and radiation literacy as well as reduction of anxiety.