. 2021 May 15;21(1):925.

doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10896-5.

Association between the social isolation and depressive symptoms after the great East Japan earthquake: findings from the baseline survey of the TMM CommCohort study

Yuka Kotozaki¹, Kozo Tanno^{2

3}, Kiyomi Sakata^{2

3}, Eri Takusari³, Kotaro Otsuka^{2

4}, Hiroaki Tomita^{5

6

7}, Ryohei Sasaki⁸, Nobuyuki Takanashi^{2

3}, Takahiro Mikami^{2

9}, Atsushi Hozawa⁶, Naoki Nakaya^{6

10}, Naho Tsuchiya⁶, Tomohiro Nakamura⁶, Akira Narita⁶, Yasuyuki Taki^{6

11}, Atsushi Shimizu^{2

12}, Jiro Hitomi⁹, Mamoru Satoh^{2

12}, Makoto Sasaki^{2

13}

Affiliations

¹ Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, 1-1-1 Idaidori, Yahaba, Shiwa, Iwate, 028-3694, Japan. kotoyuka@iwate-med.ac.jp.
² Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, 1-1-1 Idaidori, Yahaba, Shiwa, Iwate, 028-3694, Japan.
³ Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
⁴ Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁶ Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁷ Division of Disaster Medical Science, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁸ Division of Physical Education, Department of Human Sciences, Iwate Medical University Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iwate, Japan.
⁹ Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Health Science, Saitama Prefectural University, Koshigaya, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
¹² Division of Biomedical Information Analysis, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
¹³ Division of Ultrahigh Field MRI, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.

PMID: 33992096
PMCID: PMC8122535
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10896-5

Association between the social isolation and depressive symptoms after the great East Japan earthquake: findings from the baseline survey of the TMM CommCohort study

Yuka Kotozaki et al. BMC Public Health. 2021.

. 2021 May 15;21(1):925.

doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10896-5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, 1-1-1 Idaidori, Yahaba, Shiwa, Iwate, 028-3694, Japan. kotoyuka@iwate-med.ac.jp.
² Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, 1-1-1 Idaidori, Yahaba, Shiwa, Iwate, 028-3694, Japan.
³ Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
⁴ Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁶ Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁷ Division of Disaster Medical Science, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁸ Division of Physical Education, Department of Human Sciences, Iwate Medical University Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iwate, Japan.
⁹ Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Health Science, Saitama Prefectural University, Koshigaya, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
¹² Division of Biomedical Information Analysis, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
¹³ Division of Ultrahigh Field MRI, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.

PMID: 33992096
PMCID: PMC8122535
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10896-5

Abstract

Background: Social isolation and mental health issues have become a severe problem in disaster areas in the Great East Japan Earthquake. This study examined whether the combination of the house damage and social isolation or the combination of the death of family members and social isolation is associated with depressive symptoms among survivors using the baseline study data of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Community-Based Cohort Study (TMM CommCohort Study).

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from a baseline survey of 48,958 participants (18,423 males, 30,535 females; aged 60.1 ± 11.2 years) to examine the association between social isolation measured by the Lubben social network scale 6 (LSNS-6) and depressive symptoms measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depressive Scale (CES-D). The presence of social isolation and depressive symptoms was defined by an LSNS-6 score of < 12 and a CES-D score of ≥16, respectively. We performed a logistic regression analysis to determine the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) [AOR (95% CI)] for depressive symptoms according to sex in the social isolation in comparison to without social isolation, and the associations of the combination of the house damage or the death of family members and social isolation and depressive symptoms.

Results: Social isolation was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (males: OR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.72-2.04, females: OR = 2.13; 95% CI = 2.00-2.26). Both males and females respondents with severe house damage and social isolation had a greater risk of depressive symptoms in comparison to those with an undamaged house and without social isolation (males: OR = 3.40; 95% CI = 2.73-4.24, females: OR = 2.92; 95% CI = 2.46-3.46). The risk of depressive symptoms was also higher in both males and females respondents with the death of family members and social isolation in comparison to those without the death of family members and without social isolation (males: OR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.90-2.50, females: OR = 2.60; 95% CI = 2.35-2.88).

Conclusion: The findings suggested that a combination of social isolation and severe house damage and the death of family members caused by a large-scale natural disaster was associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms although the interaction was not statistically significant.

Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Death of family members; Depressive symptoms; Great East Japan earthquake; House damage; Social isolation; Tohoku medical megabank project.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in association with this study.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Flow diagram of the participants

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Association between the social isolation and depressive symptoms after the great East Japan earthquake: findings from the baseline survey of the TMM CommCohort study

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Association between the social isolation and depressive symptoms after the great East Japan earthquake: findings from the baseline survey of the TMM CommCohort study

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