Posttraumatic symptoms among victims of the Great Hanshin–Awaji Earthquake in Japan

Abstract

Two comparative studies conducted in the early and reconstruction stages following the 1995 Hanshin–Awaji earthquake in Japan are presented. In the first study, posttraumatic symptoms among younger evacuees (<60 years) were compared with the symptoms among the elderly evacuees (≥ 60 years) in the same shelter. In the first study, though most of the symptoms remained unchanged among the younger subjects from the time of the third‐week assessment to that of the eighth week, the symptoms improved among the elderly subjects. In the second study, the psychological effects of those who were living in temporary housing and those who were not were compared during the reconstruction stage. That study demonstrated that the temporary housing residents had high exposure to the traumatic event, poor socioeconomic status, and various secondary stressors. The result of these factors is that they have a higher chance of facing various types of mental health problems. By examining the data obtained from these studies, the characteristics of psychological distress and coping among survivors at the different stages after the earthquake, and matters of future concern relating to the kind of mental health care required at each stage, are discussed.