The Relationship between Starting to Drink and Psychological Distress, Sleep Disturbance after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

Masatsugu Orui, Yuka Ueda, Yuriko Suzuki, Masaharu Maeda, Tetsuya Ohira, Hirooki Yabe and Seiji Yasumura
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Masatsugu Orui: Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Yuka Ueda: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Yuriko Suzuki: Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Masaharu Maeda: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Tetsuya Ohira: Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Hirooki Yabe: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Seiji Yasumura: Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-15

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.

Keywords: alcohol; evacuees; nuclear disaster; Great East Japan earthquake; mental health service (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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