POSTTRAUMATIC SYMPTOMS AMONG YOUNGER AND ELDERLY EVACUEES IN THE EARLY STAGES FOLLOWING THE 1995 HANSHIN-AWAJI EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN

We assessed the frequency of short-term, post-traumatic symptoms among evacuees of the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. A total of 67 younger subje cts (under 60 years) and 75 elderly subjects (60 years or above) were interviewed during the third week after the earthquake, and 50 and 73 subjects, respectively, were interviewed during the eighth week. All s ubjects were assessed using the Post-Traumatic Symptom Scale. During t he first assessment, subjects from both age groups experienced sleep d isturbances, depression, hypersensitivity and irritability. During the second assessment, the percentage of younger subjects experiencing sy mptoms did not decrease, while elderly subjects showed a significant d ecrease in 8 of 10 symptoms. This may have been due to such factors as decreased psychological stress, extensive social networks, and previo us disaster experiences in the case of the elderly subjects.