Abstract
BackgroundJapan is located in an area prone to natural disasters, and major earthquakes have occurred recently in rural areas where the proportion of elderly adults is high. Although elderly persons are vulnerable members of communities at a time of disaster, the prevalence of mental disorders among this population has yet to be reported in Japan. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of mental disorders and suicidal thoughts among community-dwelling elderly persons 3 years after an earthquake and to identify risk factors associated with their quality of life (QOL).MethodsFace-to-face interviews were conducted with 496 community-dwelling persons aged 65 years or older in areas of Japan where 2 major earthquakes had occurred during a 3-year period. The main outcome was diagnosis of a mental disorder or suicidality.ResultsDuring the 3-year period after the earthquake, 1.6% of men and 5.5% of women had received a diagnosis of major depression. There were no cases of posttraumatic stress disorder. Women were more likely than men to report suicidality (7.8% vs 3.8%, P = 0.075).ConclusionsThe prevalence of mental disorders was lower than that reported in previous studies. Despite the low prevalence of mental disorders, the percentage of community-dwelling elderly persons with subclinical mental health symptoms was high. The results indicate that appropriate public health and medical interventions are warranted after a natural disaster.
Highlights
Japan is located in an area prone to natural disasters: more than 20% of earthquakes measuring 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale occur in Japan.[1]
There has been an accumulation of research on trauma-specific reactions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as manifestations of mental health problems in the aftermath of a disaster
We sought to determine the prevalence of mental problems and quality of life (QOL) issues 3 years after the Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake among community-dwelling elderly persons
Summary
Japan is located in an area prone to natural disasters: more than 20% of earthquakes measuring 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale occur in Japan.[1]. There has been an accumulation of research on trauma-specific reactions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as manifestations of mental health problems in the aftermath of a disaster. The prevalence of such reactions is reported to range from 4.4% to 24.2%.2,3. Japan is located in an area prone to natural disasters, and major earthquakes have occurred recently in rural areas where the proportion of elderly adults is high. Elderly persons are vulnerable members of communities at a time of disaster, the prevalence of mental disorders among this population has yet to be reported in Japan. The results indicate that appropriate public health and medical interventions are warranted after a natural disaster
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