Changes in drinking behavior among evacuees after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: the Fukushima Health Management Survey

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic experiences and disordered sleep are strongly associated with drinking problems. We examined the effects of experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent nuclear power plant accident, and of sleep problems, on behavioral changes observed in non-drinkers. METHODS: This study examined cross-sectional data from the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey conducted among residents in restricted areas of Fukushima in 2012. Participants were 21,454 evacuees aged 20 years or older at the time of disaster. People who did not drink before the disaster but became drinkers afterwards were compared with the rest of the cohort. We analyzed the association between behavioral changes in non-drinkers and potentially predictive variables, using logistic regression. RESULTS: The behavioral change of non-drinkers becoming drinkers (n=2,148) was significantly related to being male (OR=1.93, 95% CI: 1.74-2.15), being younger (21-49 yrs, OR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.60-2.13), having less educational attainment (up to high school graduate, OR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.09-1.35), smoking (OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.08-1.38), losing family or relatives (OR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.37), change in employment (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.07-1.32), having severe sleep problems as measured by a Japanese version of the Athens Insomnia Scale (3-8, OR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.30-1.62), and severity of traumatic symptoms as measured by the PTSD Checklist Stressor-Specific (PCL-S) score (<44, OR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.17–1.51). CONCLUSION: Having sleep problems and having more severe traumatic symptoms are significantly related to non-drinkers becoming drinkers.