Confiding in Family Members about Mental and Physical Problems Could Improve the Mental Health of Evacuees: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

Background: After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011, many victims experienced widespread evacuation away from their hometowns and family separation, affecting community social support. Affected individuals who have no one to communicate their concerns with could be at a high risk of psychological distress. Additionally, their families who provide guidance or encouragement are considered important sources of support. Therefore, we focused on evacuees confiding in family members and aimed to identify their relationship with psychological distress. Methods The study was a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire for those aged ≥ 16 years. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine the association between psychological distress and having family members to confide in. Results The risk ratio (RR) by sex and age group was also examined. A regression analysis showed that the psychological distress of participants was significantly associated with having no family members to confide in, with an RR of 1.33 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.25–1.42. The RR by sex was 1.40 (95%CI:1.29–1.53) for women and 1.24 (95%CI:1.12–1.37) for men. Among the four age groups (16–25, 26–39, 40–64, and ≥ 65 years), RRs were generally higher in younger age groups (RR: 1.53, 1.88, 1.39, and 1.21; 95%CI: 1.12–2.07, 1.51–2.33, 1.25–1.54, and 1.10–1.33, respectively). Conclusion Among evacuees who had access to support, those who did not confide in their families were more likely to have mental health problems. Therefore, early identification of such high-risk individuals can help mitigate them.