Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to clarify issues related to the\nevacuation process, including stress coping, psychological conditions, and\nhealth problems, through interviews with long-term evacuees 4 years after the\nGreat East Japan earthquake and nuclear disaster. Methods: Group interviews\nfocusing on stress and health conditions were conducted with eight older\nadults at a meeting space in Y city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, in May\n2015. Two months later, based on the results of the first group interview, four\n(two men, two women, age range, 60 - 70 years) of those eight individuals\nparticipated in 60-min individual semi-structured interviews and were assessed\naccording to the Tri-axial Coping Scale revised for the elderly. The interviewees\nwere asked about their anxiety and hardships, escape routes, and\nother points of importance. Results: Stress coping scores were higher for\nmales than for females, especially that for ââ?¬Å?Catharsisââ?¬Â. The ââ?¬Å?Giving upââ?¬Â score\nwas higher among these participants than the general population. In the interviews,\nthe participants described how evacuees from ââ?¬Å?Qââ?¬Â area were experiencing\nhigh levels of stress because of problems communicating with their\nneighborhoods and receiving compensation from the government and Tokyo\nElectric Power Company. Conclusion: Evacuees experienced hardships immediately\nafter the earthquake, including issues related to compensation from\nthe government and communication with their neighborhoods. Men showed\nhigher scores for ââ?¬Å?Avoidance-like thinkingââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Giving upââ?¬Â than for other\nfactors related to stress coping, suggesting that they might not use ââ?¬Å?Catharsisââ?¬Â\nas a means of coping with stress. The results also suggested that men experienced\nrepeatedly that alone, they made little headway or could not do\nsomething. The present study suggests the importance of providing support to\nlong-term evacuees so that original residents can better understand their situation.
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