Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr 8;68(1):25-35.
doi: 10.5387/fms.2021-19. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

Psychologic distress and QOL in medical staff after a disaster: A longitudinal 4-year study

Shoji Yabuki  1   2 , Kozue Takatsuki  2 , Kazuo Ouchi  1
Affiliations

Psychologic distress and QOL in medical staff after a disaster: A longitudinal 4-year study

Shoji Yabuki et al. Fukushima J Med Sci. .

Abstract

Aiming to improve post-disaster care of medical staff, we conducted an early and ongoing assessment of post-disaster psychologic distress and quality of life (QOL) in one center of a disaster-response hospital. Twelve days after the Great East Japan Earthquake, as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant crisis was unfolding, we began a survey to examine the physical and mental state of medical staff to assess their motivation toward work. Surveys were administered in March 2011 (Survey 1), March 2012 (Survey 2), March 2013 (Survey 3), March 2014 (Survey 4), and March 2015 (Survey 5). Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), EuroQol (EQ-5D), and MOS Short-Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36). Although BDI scores significantly improved over time following Survey 1, participants in their 30s had significantly higher Survey 2 scores than those in their 40s/50s, and significantly higher Survey 3 scores than those in their 20s. STAI scores significantly improved over time following Survey 1. However, participants in their 30s had significantly higher Survey 3 scores than those in their 20s. EQ-5D scores did not significantly vary among survey time points or age groups. SF-36 physical functioning, role physical, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health subscale scores significantly improved over time. In conclusion, post-disaster longitudinal changes, including recovery period, differed among age groups. Thus, age should be taken into account in longitudinal evaluations of psychologic distress and QOL in medical staff after a disaster and, as more recent events suggest, during a pandemic.

Keywords: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident; QOL; disaster; longitudinal study; psychologic distress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflicts of interest pertaining to this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Longitudinal changes in BDI score The scores for participants in their 30s were significantly higher (i.e., worse) than those for participants in their 40s/50s in Survey 2 and those for participants in their 20s in Survey 3. We applied a Mann-Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction after conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test. BDI: Beck Depression Inventory
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Longitudinal changes in STAI-S scores The scores for participants in their 30s were significantly higher (i.e., worse) than those for participants in their 20s in Survey 3. We applied a Mann-Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction after conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test. STAI-S: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Longitudinal changes in STAI-T scores There were no significant differences among the age groups. We applied a Mann-Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction after conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test. STAI-T: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Longitudinal changes in EQ-5D scores There were no significant differences among the age groups. We applied a Mann-Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction after conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test. EQ-5D: EuroQol-5 dimensions
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Longitudinal changes in SF-36 BP scores BP scores for participants in their 40s/50s were significantly lower (i.e., worse) than those for participants in their 20s in Survey 4 and Survey 5. We applied a Mann-Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction after conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test. SF-36: MOS Short-Form 36-item Health Survey BP: bodily pain
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Longitudinal changes in SF-36 PCS scores PCS scores in Survey 4 were significantly lower among participants in their 40s/50s compared with participants in their 20s. We applied a Mann-Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction after conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test. SF-36: MOS Short-Form 36-item Health Survey PCS: physical component summary
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Gao J, Zheng P, Jia Y, et al. Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. PLoS One, 15: e0231924, 2020. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rogers JP, Chesney E, Oliver D, et al. Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations associated with severe coronavirus infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis with comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet Psychiat, 7: 611-627, 2020. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen Q, Liang M, Li Y, et al. Mental health care for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiat, 7: e15-16, 2020. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Huang J, Liu F, Teng Z, et al. Care for the psychological status of frontline medical staff fighting against COVID-19. Clin Infect Dis, Apr 3: ciaa385, 2020. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ripp J, Peccoralo L, Charney D. Attending to the emotional well-being of the health care workforce in a New York City health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acad Med, 95: 1136-1139, 2020. - PMC - PubMed