Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster
Young women in their late teens and early 20s are at the highest risk for depression onset. The present study aimed to assess depressive symptoms among female college students in Fukushima. More specifically, it aimed to clarify factors predicting possible symptom profiles, with an emphasis on deter...
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doaj-b9b6e14ca6d3406db636787de34c97142020-11-25T00:38:57ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012018-10-011511241110.3390/ijerph15112411ijerph15112411Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant DisasterShinya Ito0Mie Sasaki1Satoko Okabe2Nobuhiro Konno3Aya Goto4School of Nursing, Kitasato University, Kanagawa Prefecture 252-0329, JapanFaculty of Humanities, Saitama Gakuen University, Saitama Prefecture 333-0831, JapanDepartment of Food and Nutrition, Koriyama Women’s University, Fukushima Prefecture 963-8503, JapanDepartment of Food and Nutrition, Koriyama Women’s University, Fukushima Prefecture 963-8503, JapanCenter for Integrated Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima Prefecture 960-1295, JapanYoung women in their late teens and early 20s are at the highest risk for depression onset. The present study aimed to assess depressive symptoms among female college students in Fukushima. More specifically, it aimed to clarify factors predicting possible symptom profiles, with an emphasis on determining how nuclear radiation risks affect the reporting of depression symptoms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 310 female students at a college in the Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in December 2015, and 288 participants submitted valid questionnaires. In total, 222 (77.1%) participants lived in Fukushima at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The measures included the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index, the Fukushima Future Parents Attitude Measure, and risk perception of radiation health effects. A total of 46.5% of participants reported depressive symptoms. Path analysis revealed that higher radiation risk perceptions and reduced efficacy with reproduction related to a decline in self-esteem and self-efficacy, which was subsequently associated with increased depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of radiation education among children and young adults, both after a nuclear accident and during disaster preparation, particularly in the context of reproductive and mental health.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/11/2411depressionFukushima nuclear accidentradiationFuture Parents Attitude Measurewomenstudentsreproductive health |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Shinya Ito Mie Sasaki Satoko Okabe Nobuhiro Konno Aya Goto |
spellingShingle |
Shinya Ito Mie Sasaki Satoko Okabe Nobuhiro Konno Aya Goto Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health depression Fukushima nuclear accident radiation Future Parents Attitude Measure women students reproductive health |
author_facet |
Shinya Ito Mie Sasaki Satoko Okabe Nobuhiro Konno Aya Goto |
author_sort |
Shinya Ito |
title |
Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster |
title_short |
Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster |
title_full |
Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster |
title_fullStr |
Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster |
title_full_unstemmed |
Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster |
title_sort |
depressive symptoms and associated factors in female students in fukushima four years after the fukushima nuclear power plant disaster |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2018-10-01 |
description |
Young women in their late teens and early 20s are at the highest risk for depression onset. The present study aimed to assess depressive symptoms among female college students in Fukushima. More specifically, it aimed to clarify factors predicting possible symptom profiles, with an emphasis on determining how nuclear radiation risks affect the reporting of depression symptoms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 310 female students at a college in the Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in December 2015, and 288 participants submitted valid questionnaires. In total, 222 (77.1%) participants lived in Fukushima at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The measures included the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index, the Fukushima Future Parents Attitude Measure, and risk perception of radiation health effects. A total of 46.5% of participants reported depressive symptoms. Path analysis revealed that higher radiation risk perceptions and reduced efficacy with reproduction related to a decline in self-esteem and self-efficacy, which was subsequently associated with increased depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of radiation education among children and young adults, both after a nuclear accident and during disaster preparation, particularly in the context of reproductive and mental health. |
topic |
depression Fukushima nuclear accident radiation Future Parents Attitude Measure women students reproductive health |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/11/2411 |
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