2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Psychological trauma and psychiatric outcomes of atomic bomb survivors after 60 years a quantitative epidemiological study on the modification of psychological trauma.
| Project/Area Number |
16591144
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Psychiatric science
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| Research Institution | Nagasaki University |
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Principal Investigator |
OHTA Yasuyuki Nagasaki University, School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (50108304)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2005
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| Keywords | atomic bomb / survivor / psychological trauma / psychiatric outcome |
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| Research Abstract |
The results of a psychiatric health survey conducted on survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki clarified that the experience of surviving the atomic bmb blast still causes severe psychological trauma and that even after 60 years, 28.1% of the survivors continue to experience psychiatric symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, the overall mental health of survivors who continue to experience severe psychological trauma was found to be poor.
The survivors were divided into three groups with respect to distance from the epicenter : <2.0km, 2.5-3.0km, and> 3.0km. The proportion of survivors with psychiatric symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder was significantly higher among survivors who were closer to the epicenter. This finding suggests a dose-response relationship between the severity of psychological trauma and the incidence of psychiatric symptoms.
Irrespective of age and gender, the incidence of physical diseases was sigunificantly higher for survivors who still experience psychological trauma, and the proportion of survivors who thought that their physical diseases were caused by the atomic bomb blast was significantly higher for the survivors who still experience psychological trauma. In addition, many survivors, paticularly woman and yong people, could not be open about being surviving the atomic bomb blast was a stigma and that they live with a sense of oppression and discrimination.
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