1997 Volume 37 Issue 1 Pages 76-84
In order to investigate the present state of the physical and mental health of the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, one survey was carried out on 415 victims (191 men, 224 women) who were living in temporary housing built outside of the stricken disaster area. The survey was conducted between January 20-31, 1996, approximately one year after the earthquake. One hundred and one responses were returned which indicated the following results.
As for physical problems, both men and women experienced stiff shoulders and backache. Men increased their alcohol consumption more than women. On the other hand, women experienced more specific physical effects, such as stomatitis and constipation. In terms of mental health measured by GHQ (Fukunishi, 1990), 50% of male victims and 78% of female victims who completed GHQ20 were categorized as in the high risk group.
In general, women's physical and mental health were more severely affected than men's.
