Longitudinal effects of disaster-related experiences on mental health among Fukushima nuclear plant workers: The Fukushima NEWS Project Study

• Published in: Psychological medicine Vol. 47; no. 11; p. 1936
• Main Authors: Ikeda, A, Tanigawa, T, Charvat, H, Wada, H, Shigemura, J, Kawachi, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-08-2017
• Subjects: Adult; Disasters - statistics & numerical data; Female; Fukushima Nuclear Accident; Humans; Japan; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Diseases - physiopathology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; mental health; Disaster-related experiences; longitudinal studies
• ISSN: 1469-8978
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291717000320

The Fukushima Nuclear Energy Workers' Support (NEWS) Project Study previously showed that experiences related to the Fukushima nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011 had a great impact on psychological states, including post-traumatic stress response (PTSR) and general psychological distress (GPD), among the Fukushima nuclear plant workers. To determine the causal relationship between disaster-related experiences and levels of psychological states, we conducted a 3-year longitudinal study from 2011 to 2014.
PTSR and GPD of the nuclear plant workers were assessed by annual questionnaires conducted from 2011 to 2014. The present study included a total of 1417 workers who provided an assessment at baseline (2011). A total of 4160 observations were used in the present analysis. The relationship between disaster-related experiences and psychological states over time was analysed using mixed-effects logistic regression models.
A declining influence of disaster-related experiences on PTSR over time was found. However, the impact on PTSR remained significantly elevated even 3 years after the disaster in several categories of exposure including the experience of life-threatening danger, experiences of discrimination, the witnessing of plant explosion, the death of a colleague and home evacuation. The associations between GPD and disaster-related experiences showed similar effects.
The effects of disaster-related experiences on psychological states among the nuclear plant workers reduced over time, but remained significantly high even 3 years after the event.