Mental health during recurring disaster: The case of Tsubota District residents recovering from a volcanic eruption

Residents of Miyake Island, Japan, were evacuated from their home for 4 years and 5 months due to a volcanic eruption. However, even seven years passed since the eruption, the majority of the areas in Miyake Island are covered with poisonous gas exceeding safe standards. Residents of the Tsubota District are still working on recovery and reconstruction from this natural disaster. A survey was conducted in Tsubota District to probe into the former evacuees' mental health risks, based on GHQ28. It was discovered that 63.6% of the respondents scored higher than a score of 6.0, the GHQ28 threshold for diagnosing risk of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. The elderly were especially susceptible to risk, with the over 60 years age group exceeding 6.0, regardless of sex. Relative risk ratios were calculated indicating that women were 3.8 times more at risk than men. Those with anxiety over their current and future livelihood, and recovery process from the disaster, were 3.3 times more at risk than those without. Also, those who had not been able to regain employment were 2.8 times more at risk than those who were.