Core Time

[P-43] Influence of leisure time on the mental health of affected high school students by the disaster

*Junko Okuyama^1,2, Shunichi Funakoshi ³, Jun Onobe^4,1, Izumi Shinichi¹ (1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2. The Core Research Cluster of Disaster Science, 3. Miyagi Psychiatry Center, 4. Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science & Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University)

Keywords:Disaster medicine, Adolescent psychology, resilience, leisure time, the Great East Japan Earthquake

BACKGROUND: On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami caused tremendous damage and traumatized many people, including adolescents. This study was conducted to find out how affected high school students spend their leisure time, including electronic games, and how they affect mental health after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami with those observed for 3 years.
METHODS: This study was conducted for three high school students, comprised of 2,532 adolescents in Miyagi prefecture south, close to the epicenter of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Electronic game time, time to watch TV, time to play outside was investigated. And the four types of psychological tests were conducted.
RESULTS: Electronic game time was negatively correlated with the CD-RISC-10 score in the psychological test for 3 years (1st year -0.056; p < .005) (2nd year -0.062; 3rd year -0.091; p < .001). The external playtime was positively correlated with the IES-R score in the psychological test for 3 years (1st year 0.097; 2nd year 0.087; 3rd year 0.087; p< .005).
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that playing electric game of adolescents who survived the earthquake and tsunami may reduce resilience. And playing outside may improve the traumatic symptoms of affected adolescents over time.