title: Drinking Behavior and Mental Illness Among Evacuees in Fukushima Following the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent evidence from alcohol and trauma studies suggests that disasters are associated with increases in the consumption of alcohol. The Great East Japan Earthquake and the associated nuclear disaster have continued to affect the mental health of evacuees from Fukushima. This study aimed to extend these findings by examining the relationship between drinking behaviors and the risk of mental illness after the compound disaster.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey with 56,543 evacuees. Kessler's K6 was used to assess the risk of mental illness, and logistic regression models were applied to analyze how drinking behavior patterns influence the risk of serious mental illness after adjustment for confounding variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Logistic regression analysis evidenced that beginning heavy and light drinkers had the highest and a higher risk of serious mental illness, respectively. Individuals who were nondrinkers pre- and postdisaster had the lowest proportional risk of mental illness. Abstainers also had some risk to their mental health after the compound disaster.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study highlight that beginning drinkers have a high risk of serious mental illness. Thus, mental health professionals should pay attention to the drinking behaviors of evacuees, which might predict increased risk of serious mental illness and consequently indicate a need for psychological intervention.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.|Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirooki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yabe
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.|Department of Disaster Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.|Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.|Department of Disaster Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Senta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Health Management, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohtsuru
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.|Fukushima Prefecture Developmental Disability Support Center, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirobumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mashiko
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harigane
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.|Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasumura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; Evacuees; Great East Japan Earthquake; Mental Illness; Nuclear Reactor Accident