Acute Stress Reactions and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms of the General Population Six Months after the Great East Japan Earthquake - Abstract
The present study examined acute stress reactions (ASR) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) six months after the Great East Japan Earthquake among 746 residents in the South Kanto area, which was minimally damaged by the earthquake. The results showed that 72.7% experienced at least one ASR, and 13.0% were identified as a high-risk group for probable PTSD at six months after the earthquake. The determinants of ASR and PTS after six months included both direct and indirect exposure. A mediating effect of ASR on the PTS after 6 months from the earthquake was observed. These results shed light on the importance of taking indirect exposure into consideration as well as direct exposure with respect to early intervention for minimally damaged people immediately following an earthquake. Implications for preventions are discussed based on the findings from this study.