2015 Volume 4 Issue 1 Pages 21-31
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate circumstances related to the physical and psychological health of local government employees who were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Method: A semi-structured interview was conducted with 30 local government staff in a town that suffered extensive tsunami damage. The participants included 17 men and 13 women (mean age, 40.6 years). This study took place in September 2011, 6 months after the disaster.
Results: Two core categories, nine categories, and nineteen subcategories were extracted from the data during analysis. The first core category was balancing personal losses with the necessity of meeting work responsibilities. The second core category was the enormous and difficult work-related challenges caused by the disaster.
Conclusion: On a personal level, local officials were disaster victims, and they mourned the death of family and friends. In the workplace, the human loss of colleagues, and the material loss due to the collapse of the public office building and damage to some documents caused great difficulty. Following a disaster, local government employees must be continuously supported to help them maintain their physical and psychological health.
