Abstract
This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the prevalence of newly-started drinkers and their continuing drinking behaviors after the Great East Japan earthquake. Moreover, the relationships between newly-started drinking and psychological factor, disaster-related experience, and perceived radiation risk were examined. We used data from 37,687 pre-disaster non-drinkers who participated in the 2012 and 2013 surveys conducted in Fukushima. We defined newly-started drinkers as those who did not drink before the disaster but who began drinking after the disaster, based on information collected retrospectively. In 2012, 9.6% of non-drinkers began drinking, of which the prevalence of heavy drinkers was 18.4%. The prevalence of continued drinking among newly-started drinkers in 2013 was 53.8%. Logistic regression analyses revealed post-disaster newly-started drinking was significantly associated with being male, less than 65 years old, sleep dissatisfaction and psychological distress (Kessler 6 ≤ 13) when this model was adjusted for disaster-related experience and perceived radiation risk. Moreover, psychological distress and heavy drinking were significant risk factors for continued drinking among newly-started drinkers. Newly-started drinkers might use alcohol to cope with disaster-related stress. Thus, they may be targeted for disaster-related health services. Moreover, early intervention should encourage responsible drinking, since post-disaster heavy drinkers were likely to continue heavy drinking.
Highlights
The Great East Japan earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011, generating a massive tsunami and causing enormous damage to the Pacific Coast [1]
In order to evaluate the risk factors associated with newly-started drinking, we categorized the items in the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey as follows: (1) current physical/mental health status (general subjective health status, sleep disturbance, and Kessler 6-item scale (K6)); (2) disaster-related experience; (3) effects of the disaster on socioeconomic status; and (4) perceived risk of radiation exposure
This study used the Japanese version of the K6, which has been empirically validated as an independent means of screening for psychological distress among evacuees [24]
Summary
The Great East Japan earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011, generating a massive tsunami and causing enormous damage to the Pacific Coast [1]. This triple disaster—the earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear disaster—forced evacuees to face hardships, such as relocation to a non-hazardous area, separation of family members, loss of housing, as well as adjustment to new circumstances These harsh experiences led to a very stressful situation for evacuees, could cause post-disaster mental distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and suicidality [3,4]. After the Great East Japan earthquake, evacuees have reported severe stress caused by socioeconomic issues in the long-term post-disaster phase, whereas significant effects on evacuees’ mental state from disaster-related experiences in the acute phase [21]. We examined which factors are likely to pose a higher risk for continued drinking behavior among newly-started drinkers
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