阪神大震災被災者の精神的健康に関連する諸要因

Abstract

In order to investigate the risk factors which sequentially affect the mental conditions of survivors from the Great Hanshin Earthquake, several factors were examined. These factors were analyzed on the basis of the data from our one-year follow-up study on the outpatients who were examined by psychiatrists at the Higashi-kobe Hospital from 17 Jan. 1995 to 31 Jan. 1996. This study was conducted during Oct. and Nov. of 1996, about one year on average since the patients' first visit to the hospital ; 83 available answers were obtained and statistically analyzed. Among these 83 respondents, there were 59 PTSD-WHO (the questionnaire for screening PTSD by WHO) positive subjects (Group A), and 24 PTSD-WHO negative subjects (Group B). In addition, there were 70 GHQ 20 (the general health questionnaire 20 by Malt) positive subjects (Group C), and 13 GHQ 20 negative subjects (Group D). Several risk factors were compared between Group A and Group B, and between Group C and Group D. With regard to vulnerabilities, which are sex (female), age (children or the aged), and past history of mental illness, there were no significant differences found between each pair of groups. However, regarding the stressors which came directly from the quake itself, that is the "impact of the quake", and the "secondary psychosocial stressors", which occurred conse- quently during the hardships after the quake, some signficant differences were indicated between each pair of groups. These findings about the stressors were consistent with prior research on disaster psychiatry. In addition, by means of the logistic procedure, the "secondary psychosocial stressors" were suggested to be more relevant risk factors of PTSD than the "impact of the quake".