title: Differences in vulnerability to traumatic stress among patients with psychiatric disorders: One-year follow-up study after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in vulnerability to traumatic stress and the 1-year course of post-traumatic stress symptoms among patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms in 612 patients with schizophrenic (ICD-10 F2; n = 163), mood (F3; n = 299), or neurotic disorders (F4; n = 150) at 1-4 months and again at 13-16 months after the disaster (retention rate: 68%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean IES-R total score for all diagnostic groups was 18.6 at index and 13.4 at follow up. The mean IES-R total score for patients with neurotic disorders (22.5) was significantly higher than that of patients with mood disorders (18.1) and schizophrenic disorders (15.9). At follow up, these scores decreased for all groups and inter-group differences were not observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vulnerability to traumatic stress after a disaster was most severe in patients with neurotic disorders, followed by mood disorders, and, lastly, schizophrenic disorders. This difference among the three diagnostic groups was not found 1 year after the disaster.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Koju
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shioda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Center for Information Education, International University of Health and Welfare, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Great East Japan Earthquake; disaster; longitudinal study; post-traumatic stress disorders; psychiatric patient