Subjective Wellbeing and Related Factors of Older Adults Nine and a Half Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Coastal Area of Soma City

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Yuri Kinoshita¹  Nobuaki Moriyama²  Hajime Iwasa²  Seiji Yasumura²  Chihiro Nakayama²  Naomi Ito³ 

[1] Department of Living and Culture, Tohoku Seikatsu Bunka Junior College, 1-18-2, Nijino-oka, Izumi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 981-8585, Japan;Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan;Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan;

关键词: disaster;    tsunami;    older adults;    PGC morale scale;    subjective wellbeing;    Fukushima;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph19052639

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This study examined older adults’ subjective wellbeing and related factors in the coastal area of Soma City nine and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). Data were collected from 65- to 84-year-old residents and 1297 participants via a questionnaire from October to November 2020. The participants were divided into two groups: housing complexes and non-housing complexes. The dependent variable was subjective wellbeing assessed via Lawton’s Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS). Using multivariate regression analysis, the factors most strongly related to a low PGCMS score for both groups were poor health conditions, difficulties resting while asleep, poor financial wellbeing, inability to chew certain foods, and fear of solitary death. The GEJE experience was further distinguished in the housing complex group by the loss of an important non-family individual; for the other group, important factors were female gender, junior high school education level or lower, limited social networks, and deterioration of a family member’s health. Older adults’ subjective wellbeing in Soma City was low after nine and a half years following the GEJE. For disaster victims and their families in both groups, it is crucial to implement measures such as long-term, continuous physical and mental health support.

【 授权许可】

Unknown