Development and Evaluation of a Gatekeeper Training Program Regarding Anxiety about Radiation Health Effects Following a Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Single-Arm Intervention Pilot Trial

Masatsugu Orui, Maiko Fukasawa, Naoko Horikoshi, Yuriko Suzuki and Norito Kawakami
Additional contact information
Masatsugu Orui: Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Maiko Fukasawa: Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Naoko Horikoshi: Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Yuriko Suzuki: Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
Norito Kawakami: Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011, residents perceived a radiation exposure risk. To address the concerns about radiation exposure and the subsequent effects on their health, we developed the gatekeeper training program for radiation health anxiety and mental health issues. The program consisted of a presentation and roleplay, with educational objectives to the increase knowledge and understanding around radiation health anxiety, alcoholism, depression, and suicide. Twenty-six counselors participated in the program as a single-arm intervention. To measure the outcomes, the subjects reported self-confidence when they counselled with residents with radiation health anxiety and other mental health issues. Comparing the answers to pre- and 2-month follow-up surveys, the confidence levels were higher after 2 months than at baseline, especially for the question “How confident are you at supporting a resident with mental health issues?”, which showed the largest increase ( p < 0.001). Regarding radiation health anxiety the questions “Can you communicate coping skills to a resident with radiation health anxiety?” ( p = 0.007) and “Can you refer a resident with radiation health anxiety to professionals who can cope appropriately?” ( p = 0.016) showed significant increases in their confidence levels. This program could be useful for on-going health activities and future nuclear disasters.

Keywords: gatekeeper; mental health first aid; nuclear disaster; radiation; anxiety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4594/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4594/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:12:p:4594-:d:376667

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().