Process of psychological recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake: The transition over the 7 years since the disaster

Abstract

This study involved qualitative research into the process of psychological recovery, specifically the process by which the subjects achieved psychologically stable states after the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). The process responsible for psychological recovery after the GEJE has been implicitly assumed to resemble that seen in the victims of other disasters. However, recent disasters have led to considerable damage, and people have been living in shelters and temporary housing for extensive periods of time. This severe experience undoubtedly left people prone to dying alone or committing suicide. Therefore, this study analyzed discussions with sufferers to assess the process of psychological recovery that they underwent during the 7 years following the GEJE. As a result, the psychological changes that they experienced were grouped into 6 patterns. Moreover, it was assumed that the process of psychological changes is affected by implicit causes and factors that trigger stress reactions, which can become chronic. In addition, by examining individual psychological changes after the 1st, 4th, and 7th years, idiosyncratic traits were found in each phase. Based on these findings, longitudinal psychological changes and their potential causes are discussed, and the sufferers recognized that their serious stress reactions could become chronic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)