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Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Young Children 2 Years After the Great East Japan Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2016

Takeo Fujiwara ,
Junko Yagi ,
Hiroaki Homma ,
Hirofumi Mashiko ,
Keizo Nagao ,
Makiko Okuyama  and
the Great East Japan Earthquake Follow up for Children Study Team
Takeo Fujiwara*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Medicine, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, and Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
Junko Yagi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
Hiroaki Homma
Affiliation:
Miyagi Prefectural Comprehensive Children’s Center, Miyagi, Japan
Hirofumi Mashiko
Affiliation:
Fukushima Rehabilitation Center for Children, Fukushima, Japan
Keizo Nagao
Affiliation:
Nagao Mental Clinic, Mie, Japan
Makiko Okuyama
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosocial Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Takeo Fujiwara, Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan (e-mail: fujiwara.hlth@tmd.ac.jp).
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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with each traumatic experience among 5- to 8-year-old children 2 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Method

Children ages 5-8 years who were in selected preschool classes on March 11, 2011, in 3 prefectures affected by the earthquake and 1 prefecture that was unaffected, participated in the study (N=280). PTSD symptoms were assessed through questionnaires completed by caregivers and interviews by psychiatrists or psychologists conducted between September 2012 and May 2013 (ie, 1.5-2 years after the earthquake).

Results

Among children who experienced the earthquake, 33.8% exhibited PTSD symptoms. Of the different traumatic experiences, experiencing the earthquake and the loss of distant relatives or friends were independently associated with PTSD symptoms; prevalence ratios: 6.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.06-23.0) and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.21-5.08), respectively.

Conclusion

Approximately 1 in 3 young children in the affected communities exhibited PTSD symptoms, even 2 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake. These data may be useful for preventing PTSD symptoms after natural disasters and suggest the importance of providing appropriate mental health services for children. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:207–215)

Keywords

disasterpost-traumatic stress disorderearthquaketsunamichild mental healthpreschool children
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , April 2017 , pp. 207 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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