Psychological consequences of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
Citation: Shigemura J, Terayama T, Kurosawa M, et al. Mental health consequences for survivors of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a systematic review. Part 1: Psychological consequences. CNS spectrums. 2021;26(1):14–29.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: No.
Funding sources: The authors reported no external funding.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for peer-reviewed studies focused on the psychological consequences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster among people who resided in Fukushima prefecture before or after the event. They searched in August 2019 for studies with a sample size of 10 or more people, published in English or Japanese. The authors found 79 observational studies.
What was found: There was a higher prevalence of mental disorders among people who survived the Fukushima nuclear disaster than among survivors of other disasters, especially within the first few years after the event. Mental health conditions after the disaster included trauma-related disorders, onset or worsening of pre-existing mental health disorders, schizophrenic disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that the findings showed the substantial mental health challenges faced by survivors of a large-scale, compound disaster. The findings provide foundational knowledge for nuclear events in the future.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence.
This summary was prepared by Grace Meng, checked by Briann Mensour, and finalized by William Summerskill.