Masahide Usami1, Yoshitaka Iwadare2, Hirokage Ushijima2, Kumi Inazaki2, Tetsuya Tanaka3, Masaki Kodaira4, Kyota Watanabe5, Kazuhiro Kawahara6, Mako Morikawa7, Keiko Kontani8, Kanako Murakami9, Remie Ogata10, Seiko Okamoto11, Keisuke Sekine12, Masako Sato13, Yoshinori Sasaki14, Hiromi Tanaka15, Maiko Harada16, Sonoko Imagi17, Kumi Matsuda18, Chiaki Katsumi19, Momoko Aoki20, Kazunori Makino20, Kazuhiko Saito21. 1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan. Electronic address: usami.masahide@hospk.ncgm.go.jp. 2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Gunma Hospital, Takasaki, Gunma, Japan. 4. The Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, AIIKU Clinic, Maternal and Child Health Center, Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-Kai, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Hiroshima City Center for Children's Health and Development, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. 6. Department of psychiatry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan. 7. Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. 8. Department of Psychiatry, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. 9. Jiundou Byouin, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. 10. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Oita University, Faculty of Medicine, Yufu, Ohita, Japan. 11. Ayase Mental Clinic, Adachi, Tokyo, Japan. 12. Yashio Hospital, Yashio, Saitama, Japan. 13. Tokyo Child Guidance Office, Shinjyuku, Tokyo, Japan. 14. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Komagino Hospital, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. 15. Department of Psychiatry, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Shimotsuga, Tochigi, Japan. 16. Department of Psychiatry, Nishikawa Hospital. Hamada, Yamaguchi, Japan. 17. Eda Memorial Hospital, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. 18. Department of Psychiatry, Japanese Red Cross Narita Hospital, Narita, Chiba, Japan. 19. Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. 20. Department of child and adolescent psychiatry, Saitama Prefectual Psychiatric Hospital, Saitama, Saitama, Japan. 21. Aiiku Counselling Office, Aiiku Research Institute, Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-Kai, Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and tsunami of March 11, 2011 left behind many survivors, including children. This study aimed to assess changes in traumatic symptoms with time among kindergarteners who experienced GEJE as infants and to discuss the relationship between these symptoms and the disaster experience. METHODS: The 15-item Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms for Children (PTSSC-15) questionnaire were distributed to the parents of kindergarteners (children aged 4-5 years) at 8, 20, 30, and 42 months after GEJE. Questionnaires regarding environmental damage conditions affecting the children were distributed to teachers 8 months after the tsunami. RESULTS: The number of kindergarteners was 262, 255, 236, and 202 at 8, 20, 30, and 42 months after the disaster. The PTSSC-15 total score was not different between kindergartners with and without environmental damage conditions. After 8 and 20 months, the PTSSC-15 total score of children who usually ate breakfast was significantly higher than that of children who did not. Moreover, after 30 and 42 months, the PTSSC-15 total score of kindergarteners who usually ate breakfast was not significantly higher than that of kindergarteners who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The traumatic symptoms of kindergarteners were not related to disaster experiences.
BACKGROUND: The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and tsunami of March 11, 2011 left behind many survivors, including children. This study aimed to assess changes in traumatic symptoms with time among kindergarteners who experienced GEJE as infants and to discuss the relationship between these symptoms and the disaster experience. METHODS: The 15-item Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms for Children (PTSSC-15) questionnaire were distributed to the parents of kindergarteners (children aged 4-5 years) at 8, 20, 30, and 42 months after GEJE. Questionnaires regarding environmental damage conditions affecting the children were distributed to teachers 8 months after the tsunami. RESULTS: The number of kindergarteners was 262, 255, 236, and 202 at 8, 20, 30, and 42 months after the disaster. The PTSSC-15 total score was not different between kindergartners with and without environmental damage conditions. After 8 and 20 months, the PTSSC-15 total score of children who usually ate breakfast was significantly higher than that of children who did not. Moreover, after 30 and 42 months, the PTSSC-15 total score of kindergarteners who usually ate breakfast was not significantly higher than that of kindergarteners who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The traumatic symptoms of kindergarteners were not related to disaster experiences.