title: Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Young Children 2 Years After the Great East Japan Earthquake.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with each traumatic experience among 5- to 8-year-old children 2 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
  
  
  
  Children ages 5-8 years who were in selected preschool classes on March 11, 2011, in 3 prefectures affected by the earthquake and 1 prefecture that was unaffected, participated in the study (N=280). PTSD symptoms were assessed through questionnaires completed by caregivers and interviews by psychiatrists or psychologists conducted between September 2012 and May 2013 (ie, 1.5-2 years after the earthquake).
  
  
  
  Among children who experienced the earthquake, 33.8% exhibited PTSD symptoms. Of the different traumatic experiences, experiencing the earthquake and the loss of distant relatives or friends were independently associated with PTSD symptoms; prevalence ratios: 6.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.06-23.0) and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.21-5.08), respectively.
  
  
  
  Approximately 1 in 3 young children in the affected communities exhibited PTSD symptoms, even 2 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake. These data may be useful for preventing PTSD symptoms after natural disasters and suggest the importance of providing appropriate mental health services for children. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:207-215).
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Social Medicine,National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, and Department of Global Health Promotion,Tokyo Medical and Dental University,Tokyo,Japan.
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Psychiatry,Iwate Medical University,Iwate,Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.affiliation: 3Miyagi Prefectural Comprehensive Children's Center,Miyagi,Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.affiliation: 4Fukushima Rehabilitation Center for Children,Fukushima,Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mashiko
authors.affiliation: 5Nagao Mental Clinic,Mie,Japan.
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagao
authors.affiliation: 6Department of Psychosocial Medicine,National Center for Child Health and Development,Tokyo,Japan.
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuyama
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055866:Earthquakes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D015995:Prevalence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: child mental health; disaster; earthquake; post-traumatic stress disorder; preschool children; tsunami