title: Property damage and long-term psychological distress after the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Ojiya, Japan: a community-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to assess psychological distress (PD) in earthquake-stricken communities with regard to the extent of property damage for 3 years following the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were participants of health check examinations in a community near the epicentre, and included 7097 residents (≥18 years) in 2005, 6586 in 2006 and 6698 in 2007. Interviews assessed PD symptoms and lifestyles. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was used, with scores ≥20 considered as PD. The 137 subdistricts were divided into quartiles according to the proportion of half-completely destroyed houses at cut-offs of 18.9, 30.5 and 66.7%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PD prevalence was 17.0% in 2005, 13.2% in 2006 and 11.8% in 2007. In 2005, the more and most heavily damaged groups had significantly higher PD prevalence (OR = 1.5 and 1.4, respectively) than that of the least damaged group with a dose-dependent relationship (P = 0.0005). This association was weaker in 2006 (P = 0.0413) and in 2007 (P = 0.1816).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychological distress prevalence was high in highly damaged areas, and the prevalence difference between areas with high versus low damage decreases with time. Extensive mental health care in communities with substantial damage should be expected to last 2 years after an earthquake.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan Niigata Institute for Traumatic Stress, Mental Health and Welfare Association in Niigata Prefecture, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Someya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: earthquakes; epidemiological studies; mental health; property damage; psychological distress