Study: Working long periods in disaster areas boosts PTSD risk

By Rintaro Sakurai

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Extensive periods working in the aftermath of major natural disasters heightens the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a long-term study of Self-Defense Forces members.

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“Japan is expected to suffer from major natural disasters in the future and other occupations have been called on to provide disaster relief assistance,” said Masanori Nagamine, an industrial public health and psychiatry professor at the National Defense Medical College, who led the study.

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One finding was that the risk of suffering from PTSD increased between 60 and 70 percent among SDF members who spent more than three months in the disaster-stricken areas or who worked long hours for more than three months after returning from those areas.

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The risk of PTSD also increased depending on the type of relief assistance engaged in. The risk increased by 18 to 19 percent for those who helped recover bodies swept away by the tsunami or faced radiation exposure in working in evacuation areas near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in comparison to those who were not involved in such work.

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