Impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on the Employment Status and Mental Health Conditions of Affected Coastal Communities

Mitsuaki Katayanagi, Moe Seto, Naoki Nakaya, Tomohiro Nakamura, Naho Tsuchiya, Akira Narita, Mana Kogure, Yumi Sugawara, Akira Kodaka, Yusuke Utsumi, Hitomi Usukura, Yasuto Kunii, Atsushi Hozawa, Ichiro Tsuji and Hiroaki Tomita
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Mitsuaki Katayanagi: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Moe Seto: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Naoki Nakaya: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Tomohiro Nakamura: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Naho Tsuchiya: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Akira Narita: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Mana Kogure: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Yumi Sugawara: Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan
Akira Kodaka: Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center, 2-8-21 Honcho, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-0014, Japan
Yusuke Utsumi: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Hitomi Usukura: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Yasuto Kunii: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Atsushi Hozawa: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
Ichiro Tsuji: Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan
Hiroaki Tomita: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8573, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: The Great East Japan Earthquake devasted the old community in coastal areas characterized by primary industry. The number of unemployed people increased from 150,000 to 190,000 after the earthquake. All of the adult residents of Shichigahama (18 years old or older), located in the coastal area of the Miyagi prefecture, whose houses were totally or majorly damaged, were recruited for a survey conducted in October 2011. All of the residents who responded with written informed consent were included in this study. Among 904 individuals who had a job before the Great East Japan Earthquake, 19% became unemployed. Concerning gender and age, 9% of young men, 34% of elderly men, 21% of young women, and 49% of elderly women became unemployed. Concerning the type of industry, 38%, 15%, and 16% of people who had belonged to the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, respectively, before the disaster became unemployed. Those who became unemployed exhibited a significantly higher risk of insomnia compared to those who maintained jobs. The study pointed out the severe impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on populations who had belonged to the primary industry, especially among elderly women, and its effect on sleep conditions.

Keywords: cross-sectional study; disaster; employment status; mental health; structural industry characteristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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