Supporting Infants in Fukushima Prefecture - Intervention Study on Mental Health after the Great East Japan Earthquake

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26285154
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Clinical psychology
• Research Institution: Taisho University (2016); Fukushima University (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: UCHIYAMA Tokio 大正大学, 心理社会学部, 教授 (00316910)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 筒井 雄二 福島大学, 共生システム理工学類, 教授 (70286243) ; 高谷 理恵子 福島大学, 人間発達文化学類, 教授 (90322007) ; 富永 美佐子 福島大学, 人間発達文化学類, 准教授 (20548458) ; 氏家 達夫 名古屋大学, 教育学研究科(研究院), 教授 (00168684) ; 堀江 まゆみ 白梅学園大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 教授 (50259058) ; 黒田 美保 福島大学, 子どものメンタルヘルス支援事業推進室, 特任教授 (10536212) ; 安達 潤 北海道大学, 教育学研究科(研究院), 教授 (70344538) ; 宇野 洋太 名古屋大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (40539681) ; 行廣 隆次 京都学園大学, 人文学部, 准教授 (60240628)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 地域援助 / 震災支援

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A range of psychological tests were conducted with, mainly 5 years old children and their parents in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, prefectures profoundly affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The results showed significant delays in WISC picture completion and picture vocabulary test scores and various psychiatric conditions were observed in about 30% of parents.
Eye movements of children in coastal regions of Fukushima were also tracked to discover their attention deployment, through this, the impact of changes in the family environment. The findings suggest that children who have problems in their family environment tended to find it difficult to switch their attention to a new target. That family environment may affect attention switching in a way similar to that observed in children who have idiosyncratic developmental characteristics (indicative of developmental disorder), although the latter also lack interest in others as well as having difficulty in attention switching.

Free Research Field

児童精神医学