title: The longitudinal mental health impact of Fukushima nuclear disaster exposures and public criticism among power plant workers: the Fukushima NEWS Project study.
abstract: The Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plant workers experienced multiple stressors as both victims and onsite workers after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent nuclear accidents. Previous studies found that disaster-related exposures, including discrimination/slurs, were associated with their mental health. Their long-term impact has yet to be investigated.
  
  
  
  A total of 968 plant workers (Daiichi, n = 571; Daini, n = 397) completed self-written questionnaires 2-3 months (time 1) and 14-15 months (time 2) after the disaster (response rate 55.0%). Sociodemographics, disaster-related experiences, and peritraumatic distress were assessed at time 1. At time 1 and time 2, general psychological distress (GPD) and post-traumatic stress response (PTSR) were measured, respectively, using the K6 scale and Impact of Event Scale Revised. We examined multivariate covariates of time 2 GPD and PTSR, adjusting for autocorrelations in the hierarchical multiple regression analyses.
  
  
  
  Higher GPD at time 2 was predicted by higher GPD at time 1 (β = 0.491, p < 0.001) and discrimination/slurs experiences at time 1 (β = 0.065, p = 0.025, adjusted R 2 = 0.24). Higher PTSR at time 2 was predicted with higher PTSR at time 1 (β = 0.548, p < 0.001), higher age (β = 0.085, p = 0.005), and discrimination/slurs experiences at time 1 (β = 0.079, p = 0.003, adjusted R 2 = 0.36).
  
  
  
  Higher GPD at time 2 was predicted by higher GPD and discrimination/slurs experience at time 1. Higher PTSR at time 2 was predicted by higher PTSR, higher age, and discrimination/slurs experience at time 1.
authors.affiliation: Health and Global Policy Institute,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo,Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanisho
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,National Defense Medical College,Tokorozawa,Saitama,Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shigemura
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics,School of Medicine, Yokohama City University,Kanazawa-ku,Yokohama,Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health,School of Medicine, Juntendo University,Bunkyo-ku,Tokyo,Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science,Stony Brook University School of Medicine,Stony Brook, NY,USA.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Bromet
authors.affiliation: Department of Disaster Psychiatry,Faculty of Medicine,University of Tsukuba,Tsukuba,Ibaraki,Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Research,Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center,Chuo-ku,Tokyo,Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health Policy and Evaluation,National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry,Kodaira,Tokyo,Japan.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Science,National Defense Medical College Research Institute, National Defense Medical College,Tokorozawa,Saitama,Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagamine
authors.affiliation: Nursing Science of Community Health Care System,Department of Nursing,Tohoku University School of Health Sciences,Sendai,Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,National Defense Medical College,Tokorozawa,Saitama,Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanichi
authors.affiliation: Department of Disaster Psychiatry,Faculty of Medicine,University of Tsukuba,Tsukuba,Ibaraki,Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Science,National Defense Medical College Research Institute, National Defense Medical College,Tokorozawa,Saitama,Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,National Defense Medical College,Tokorozawa,Saitama,Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,National Defense Medical College,Tokorozawa,Saitama,Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D055848:Nuclear Power Plants; D011287:Prejudice / Q000523:psychology*; D011639:Public Opinion; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Disaster mental health; Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster; Great East Japan Earthquake; general psychological distress; post-traumatic stress disorder