title: Impact of social capital on psychological distress and interaction with house destruction and displacement after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Social capital has been considered an important factor affecting mental-health outcomes, such as psychological distress in post-disaster settings. Although disaster-related house condition and displacement could affect both social capital and psychological distress, limited studies have investigated interactions. This study aimed to examine the association between social capital and psychological distress, taking into consideration the interaction of disaster-related house condition after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from 3793 adults living in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, we examined the association between social capital measured by generalized trust and psychological distress measured by the Kessler 6 scale. We conducted stratified analysis to investigate an interaction of house destruction and displacement. Multivariate analyses taking into consideration the interaction were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the crude analysis, low social capital (odds ratio [OR] 4.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.27-6.07) and large-scale house destruction (OR 1.96; 95%CI, 1.47-2.62) were significantly associated with psychological distress. Stratified analyses detected an interaction with house destruction and displacement (P for interaction = 0.04). Multivariate analysis with interaction term revealed that individuals with low social capital, large-scale house damage, and displacement were at greater risk of psychological distress, corresponding to adjusted OR of 5.78 (95%CI, 3.48-9.60).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the post-disaster setting, low social capital increased the risk of psychological distress, especially among individuals who had large-scale house destruction. Among the participants with severe disaster damage, high social capital would play an important role in protecting mental health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Naho
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Mana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogure
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aida
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Informatics and Public Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hozawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Department of Disaster Psychiatry, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055866:Earthquakes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D066270:Social Capital; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: disaster; house destruction; interaction; psychological distress; social capital