Abstract
The atomic bombing in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, caused an estimated casualty of 140,000 by the end of that year. Survivors faced hideous scenes and many lost family members. Later, in the early 1960s, increased rates of leukemia and other types of cancer were observed among the survivors. These long-term health effects caused serious apprehension to linger. However, only a few studies on psychological consequences among the survivors have been conducted. In 2008, Hiroshima City commissioned our study team to perform a large-scale survey on long-term health effects among the survivors. We delivered a questionnaire by mail to all subjects who were living in Hiroshima City and adjacent towns prior to the release of the A-bomb until the study was implemented. The number of potential subjects was 31,598 and the response rate was 75%. We analyzed a subsample of subjects (n=14,373) whose age at the event was 8 or above. In the multiple regression analysis, hibakusha (A-bomb victims) and those who were exposed to the Black Rain (fall-out) showed poor mental health compared to the comparison group on SF-8, K6 and IES-R scores even after adjusting socio-demographic variables. Although traumatic experiences at the event still affected mental health, anxiety
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Asukai, Nozomu;
[1]
Sugiyama, Hiromi;
[2]
Kato, Hiroshi;
[3]
Nakajima, Midori;
[4]
Saeki, Toshinari
[5]
- Tokyo Metropolitan Inst. of Medical Science, Tokyo (Japan)
- Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima, Hiroshima (Japan)
- Hyogo Inst. for Traumatic Stress, Kobe, Hyogo (Japan)
- Hiroshima International Univ., Faculty of Psychological Science, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima (Japan)
- Hiroshima Univ., Faculty of Medicine, Hiroshima, Hiroshima (Japan)
Citation Formats
Asukai, Nozomu, Sugiyama, Hiromi, Kato, Hiroshi, Nakajima, Midori, and Saeki, Toshinari.
Contributing factors to long-term psychological consequences in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors.
Japan: N. p.,
2012.
Web.
Asukai, Nozomu, Sugiyama, Hiromi, Kato, Hiroshi, Nakajima, Midori, & Saeki, Toshinari.
Contributing factors to long-term psychological consequences in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors.
Japan.
Asukai, Nozomu, Sugiyama, Hiromi, Kato, Hiroshi, Nakajima, Midori, and Saeki, Toshinari.
2012.
"Contributing factors to long-term psychological consequences in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors."
Japan.
@misc{etde_22116853,
title = {Contributing factors to long-term psychological consequences in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors}
author = {Asukai, Nozomu, Sugiyama, Hiromi, Kato, Hiroshi, Nakajima, Midori, and Saeki, Toshinari}
abstractNote = {The atomic bombing in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, caused an estimated casualty of 140,000 by the end of that year. Survivors faced hideous scenes and many lost family members. Later, in the early 1960s, increased rates of leukemia and other types of cancer were observed among the survivors. These long-term health effects caused serious apprehension to linger. However, only a few studies on psychological consequences among the survivors have been conducted. In 2008, Hiroshima City commissioned our study team to perform a large-scale survey on long-term health effects among the survivors. We delivered a questionnaire by mail to all subjects who were living in Hiroshima City and adjacent towns prior to the release of the A-bomb until the study was implemented. The number of potential subjects was 31,598 and the response rate was 75%. We analyzed a subsample of subjects (n=14,373) whose age at the event was 8 or above. In the multiple regression analysis, hibakusha (A-bomb victims) and those who were exposed to the Black Rain (fall-out) showed poor mental health compared to the comparison group on SF-8, K6 and IES-R scores even after adjusting socio-demographic variables. Although traumatic experiences at the event still affected mental health, anxiety for health effects and social stigma showed greater impact. Our findings suggest that even 63 years after the event, apprehension of health effects and social stigma harm mental health in A-bomb survivors. Our findings may also suggest that long-term risk communication will be vital to mitigate mental health effects among survivors of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. (author)}
journal = []
issue = {2}
volume = {21}
journal type = {AC}
place = {Japan}
year = {2012}
month = {May}
}
title = {Contributing factors to long-term psychological consequences in Hiroshima A-bomb survivors}
author = {Asukai, Nozomu, Sugiyama, Hiromi, Kato, Hiroshi, Nakajima, Midori, and Saeki, Toshinari}
abstractNote = {The atomic bombing in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, caused an estimated casualty of 140,000 by the end of that year. Survivors faced hideous scenes and many lost family members. Later, in the early 1960s, increased rates of leukemia and other types of cancer were observed among the survivors. These long-term health effects caused serious apprehension to linger. However, only a few studies on psychological consequences among the survivors have been conducted. In 2008, Hiroshima City commissioned our study team to perform a large-scale survey on long-term health effects among the survivors. We delivered a questionnaire by mail to all subjects who were living in Hiroshima City and adjacent towns prior to the release of the A-bomb until the study was implemented. The number of potential subjects was 31,598 and the response rate was 75%. We analyzed a subsample of subjects (n=14,373) whose age at the event was 8 or above. In the multiple regression analysis, hibakusha (A-bomb victims) and those who were exposed to the Black Rain (fall-out) showed poor mental health compared to the comparison group on SF-8, K6 and IES-R scores even after adjusting socio-demographic variables. Although traumatic experiences at the event still affected mental health, anxiety for health effects and social stigma showed greater impact. Our findings suggest that even 63 years after the event, apprehension of health effects and social stigma harm mental health in A-bomb survivors. Our findings may also suggest that long-term risk communication will be vital to mitigate mental health effects among survivors of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. (author)}
journal = []
issue = {2}
volume = {21}
journal type = {AC}
place = {Japan}
year = {2012}
month = {May}
}