Disaster Victim Identification: Psychological Distress and Posttraumatic Stress in Dentists After the 2011 Fukushima Disaster

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the correlates of psychological responses in dentists who conducted disaster victim identification (DVI) in Fukushima following the 2011 earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster. Method: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 49 male dentists six to nine months after the disaster. Psychological distress and posttraumatic stress were measured using the General Health Questionnaire–30 (GHQ-30) and Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R), respectively. Independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics, participant disaster exposures, DVI-related exposures, and fear of radiation exposure during DVI. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to examine independent-dependent variable relations. Results: Thirty-eight participants (77.6%) had examined ≥ 40 corpses, 20 (40.8%) reported ≥ 4 corpse-related exposures, and six (12.2%) reported ≥ 5 gruesome corpse exposures. Mean (SD) GHQ-30 and IES-R scores were 5.08 (5.31) and 9.90 (10.1), respectively. Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with younger age (adjusted β = −0.29), extensive property loss (β = 0.34), and anxiety for the future (β = 0.33). Higher levels of posttraumatic stress were associated with extensive property loss (adjusted R² = 17.7%, β = 0.30). Neither outcome was associated with DVI-related exposures or fear of radiation exposure during DVI (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Dentists’ psychological burden was associated with disaster, but not DVI, exposures.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to and respect for the participants from the Soma Dental Association, Ohu University’s Department of Dentistry, and the Japan Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jun Shigemura

Jun Shigemura, MD, PhD, is affiliated with Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan. Hidetoshi Someda, DDS, PhD, is affiliated with the Department of Anatomy, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan. Shinichi Tokuno, MD, PhD, is affiliated with Verbal Analysis of Payhophysiology, University of Tokyo, Japan. Masanori Nagamine, MD, PhD, is affiliated with the Division of Behavorial Medicine, National Defense Medical College Reseearch Institute, Tokorozawa, Japan. Masaaki Tanichi, MD, is affiliated with Department of Pscyhiatry, National Defense Medical College, Tokorazawa, Japan. Yoshiyuki Araki, MD, PhD, is affiliated with Department of Defense Medicine, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan. Shinji Nagakawa, MD, PhD, is affiliated with the Department of Defense Medicine, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan. Taku Saito, MD, is affiliated with Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan.Gentaro Tsumatori, MD, PhD, is affiliated with Department of Defense Medicine, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan. Jin Itabashi, DDS, PhD, is affiliated with Department of Dentistry, Ohu University, Koriyama, Japan. Akihiro Kanno, DDS, is affiliated with Fukushima Dental Association, Fukushima, Japan.