Life Events and Posttraumatic Stress in Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Victims
10.1265/ehpm.6.97
- Author:
Young-Sook KWON
;
Soichiro MARUYAMA
;
Kanehisa MORIMOTO
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
posttraumatic stress disorder;
stress;
life events;
emotional support;
mental health
- MeSH:
Earthquakes;
Life events;
seconds;
Stress bismuth subsalicylate;
Stress
- From:Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
2001;6(2):97-103
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
Stress induced by disaster is experienced to varying degrees by all respondents, and is known to evoke psychophysiological reactions. In this study, we investigated the relationships between earthquake-related life events and posttraumatic stress symptoms. A total of 380 adults were surveyed one year after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Japan. The questionnaire included items concerning earthquake-related life events, emotional support and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. As a result, after controlling for demographic variables, earthquake-related life events were significantly related to the grade of posttraumatic stress and its three components: re-experience, avoidance and arousal, in both male and female subjects. Male subjects who currently had lower emotional support showed higher scores of posttraumatic stress and arousal. In conclusion, a higher experience of earthquake-related life events appears to be an important risk factor for development of poor mental health status following an earthquake disaster.
