PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PTSD SYNDROME AND DEPRESSION AMONG ELDERLY VICTIMS OF FLOOD-DISASTER IN JAPAN

摘要

Depression and PTSD syndromes are major psychological problems among elderly victims of post-disaster areas. This study aimed to examine the psychological relationships between depression, PTSD syndrome, and their related factors. This study used a self-administered questionnaire for a mailed survey in Ichijima-area, Hyogo. Ichijima suffered severe damage from heavy rain in mid-August of 2014. Participants were recruited by community association and questionnaires were delivered by community members. A total of 550 questionnaires were delivered and 291 replies were received (response rate 52.9%). Due to missing values, this study used 276 cases for analysis. Ethics approval for this study was secured from Kansai University of International Studies ethics board. To examine the relationships between depression and PTSD syndrome, this study used two models for analysis. The first model was “Depression antedates the onset of PTSD.” The second model was “PTSD antedates the onset of depression.” In the structural equation modeling results, the fit indexes of the first model were CFI=.996, RMSEA=.05, AIC=128.12, and for the second model they were CFI=.934, RMSEA=.35, AIC=197.94. Results of the first model indicated that house damage from flooding had no direct effect on depression but did affect PTSD. Social capital and subjective health had significant effects on depression. Furthermore, depression had significant effects on all of three types of PTSD syndrome. In this study, the findings supported the first model, “Depression antedates the onset of PTSD.” The model suggest that depression was one of the important variables for preventing PTSD among elderly victims of disasters.