Longitudinal associations of radiation risk perceptions and mental health among non-evacuee residents of Fukushima prefecture seven years after the nuclear power plant disaster

SSM: Population Health

卷:10

Maki Umeda¹  Evelyn J. Bromet²  Yuriko Suzuki³  Naoko Horikoshi⁴  Hirooki Yabe⁵  Maiko Fukasawa⁶  Norito Kawakami⁶  Tsuyoshi Akiyama⁶  Seiji Yasumura⁷ 

[1] Corresponding author. Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.;

[2] Department of Mental Health Policy, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan;

[3] Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan;

[4] Department of Neuropsychiatry, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-8625, Japan;

[5] Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan;

[6] Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan;

[7] Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan;

关键词: Radiation risk perceptions;    Nuclear power plant accident;    Psychological distress;    Posttraumatic stress symptoms;    Longitudinal study;    Fukushima;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

We aimed to explore the effects of prolonged radiation risk perceptions on mental health after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident occurred in 2011. We investigated the longitudinal associations of radiation risk perceptions five years after the accident with psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms two years later among non-evacuee community residents of Fukushima prefecture. A two-wave questionnaire survey was administered for 4,900 randomly sampled residents in 49 municipalities of Fukushima prefecture excluding the evacuation area designated by the Japanese government. Radiation risk perceptions were assessed with a seven-item scale. Psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms were measured by the K6 and the six-item abbreviated version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Specific version, respectively. We investigated the associations of radiation risk perceptions in the first survey conducted in 2016 with psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms in the follow-up survey conducted in 2017–18, controlling for the baseline level of distress or symptoms using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Valid responses were obtained from 1,148 residents (23.4%). Higher risk perceptions of radiation exposure in the first survey predicted later posttraumatic stress symptoms but not psychological distress after controlling for baseline symptoms or distress. High risk perceptions of radiation exposure after nuclear power plant accidents can lead to posttraumatic stress symptoms.

【 授权许可】

Unknown