| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
|
|---|
| Research Abstract |
To elucidate the psychosomatic effects of the Chernobyl accident on children of exposed families, we administered in 2000 and 2002, in collaboration with the Scientific Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Goldberg's 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and anxiety-depression scale to 1,458 children (678 boys and 780 girls) out of about 4,400 children whose family evacuated to Kiev from the 30 km zone of Chernobyl. The results were :
1. The mean (standard deviation) age at examination was 15.7 (1.3) years in boys and 15.7 (1.2) years in girls. Almost all children had diseases or disorders, and flat foot and curvature of spine were diagnosed in 41.6% of children and were most common. The other diseases or disorders diagnosed in more than 20% of children were diseases of stomach and duodenum, vegetative dystonia, and cardiomyopathy. A significant association was observed between vegetative dystonia and neurotic disorders, other nonpsychotic mental disorders, cardiomyopathy, diseases of stomach and duodenum, disorders of gallbladder anf biliary tract, and flat foot and curvature of spine.
2. Anxiety and depression were diagnosed in 36.1% and 35.8% of children, respectively on the basis of Goldberg's anxiety-depression scale. Children who responded to 4 or more items of GHQ-12 were 5.8% of boys and 10.0% of girls.
3. Children with neurotic disorders or vegetative dystonia were diagnosed to have anxiety or depression, and responded to 4 or more items of GHQ-12 more frequently than those without such disorders.
4. The responses to Goldberg's anxiety-depression scale and GHQ-12 were significantly correlated but the logistic regression analysis on the relationship of diseases and the responses to the anxiety and depression scales, and GHQ-12 indicated that the three scales probably depict different features of examinees suggesting the usefulness of their combined use at screening.
|
