Pages: 1 2 3  Post 3/11

Part 2- Cohort Study Aims to Assess and Promote the Livelihood of Disaster Victims

Nicole Gunawansa | December 10th, 2014
This interview was held on October 8th, 2014 in Tohoku Medical Megabank Building

Question 4: What did you want to evaluate via the Shichigahama Health Promotion Project? (November 2012)

The Great East Japan Earthquake resulted in a wide range of stressors: traumatic stress, loss of significant others, and a large economic and environmental impact. We wanted to evaluate what kind of impact the disaster had on people and their mood (assessing the presence of depressive and Post Traumatic Stress Reaction (PTSR) symptoms).

One year later (2012), during the second round of the survey, we evaluated effects of loss (grief). We worried about being too intrusive during the first round, but the initial results of the survey indicated that this is a topic that needed to be addressed. Additionally, we evaluated the loss of living conditions (housing or properties). The effect of this type of loss was so big. It is one the strongest impacts of the disaster felt by members of the community.

Question 5: What is the relationship between the Community Resident Cohort Study and the Shichigahama Town Cohort Study? (February 2014)

We started this Shichigahama Project right after the earthquake happened. After that there was the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Cohort Study, which was designed for a wide range of purposes, including supporting total health in all of the Miyagi Prefecture and using the outcomes to promote genome based medicine. Mental health was significantly impacted after the disaster, so we decided to incorporate the Shichigahama Health Promotion Project data into the ToMMo one to provide some mental health insight into the big survey.

With regards to the current condition of the Shichigahama Project, we did the third round February 2014, and we just gave the feedback to the town. We are also in the eighth round of the community tea party in temporary housing. Right now we are planning the fourth round of the cohort study to be held this November or December (2014). We are also still involved in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Community-Based Cohort Study and Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study, and we evaluate mental health conditions and provide support for people who show high risk of mental health disorders.

Question 6: Can you tell if there are specific factors that are causing people residual stress from the 3/11 disaster? Have you seen any interesting trends in your research data? (November 2014)

As for the results of the three times Shichigahama Health Promotion Project, symptoms of depressed feeling are improving. At the first round nearly half of the people showed mild depressed symptoms, but the percentage has improved since then. As for Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction (PTSR), 30% of people showed symptoms in the first round, and this percentage has stayed same during second and third year of the study. It does not mean no one improved; 1/3 of people with symptoms improved but the same number of (new) people developed symptoms. Our results also show that affected elderly people tend to be more at risk of developing depression and PTSR, in addition to people in difficult economic conditions (regardless of age). Also, perspective of future living matters. People who have plans for new housing are better off than those who are unaware of their next housing situation in terms of mental health condition. Individuals who do not know where they will live after temporary housing tend to have more depressed symptoms.

Question 7: Reports have indicated that many people today are still living in temporary housing. How big of a role do you think this housing plays in terms of the status of disaster victims' mental health?

Housing has had a big impact on mental health. Most of the victims of the disaster still live in temporary housing. Now it is time to decide where to live next. There are two options for future housing: enter public housing built by the government or purchase governmentally subsidized land and build a new home. With this impending move, people are again reminded of what they have lost while also having to be concerned about the fees associated with rent, furniture, and/or the building costs. Because of this some people might be feeling an increase in mental distress. Another issue is that communities are going to be reshuffled when people move away from temporary housing; thus, this uncertainty may also be causing some people to feel discomfort and perhaps anxiety.

[Note about housing in Shichigahama Town: Of the people who lost housing, 50% live in temporary houses, over 30% live in rebuilt houses or with family members or in apartments which are subsidized by the government, and about 20% live outside of town.]

Question 8: Do you feel that victims from the disaster need additional support systems for treatment and rehabilitation other than what is currently being provided?

Since the local government set up community support centers for people, people in temporary houses in Shichigahama Town are being visited almost every day and are never isolated. After moving to new place, the condition is sparser, and also people tend to have less attention for the mental health conditions of victims of disaster. We need to keep these issues in mind to make sure that people are receiving adequate treatment.

As the cohort data shows, the impact of the traumatic event still remains strong. As the time goes, people tend to think that it is no longer, but that is a misunderstanding. We still need to keep our eyes open to the issues involving mental health. We also need to remember that the people's experiences vary, and that so that matters as well in terms of treatment and support in the post disaster period. Even after people move away from temporary housing, we need to keep attention on how the disaster victims live and feel.

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