Kotozaki Yuka, Tanno Kozo, Otsuka Kotaro, Sasaki Ryohei, Sasaki Makoto
Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Yahaba, Japan.
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Yahaba, Japan.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Aug 12;25(1):2745. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23778-x.
The effects of disaster experiences on social isolation and related factors remain unclear. Using longitudinal data, this study aimed to identify new social isolation and its associated factors after the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), which occurred on March 11, 2011.
We analyzed longitudinal data from 12,795 participants who responded to self-report questionnaires, utilizing the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6). Participants included 4,450 men and 8,345 women; the sex ratio of the analytic sample was broadly consistent with that of the study population at baseline. Baseline data were collected between fiscal years (FY) 2013 and 2015, and follow-up data were collected between FY2017 and FY2019. Social isolation was defined as a score < 12 on the LSNS-6. Based on their level of social isolation in the second survey, participants were categorized into two groups: not socially isolated and newly socially isolated. To examine factors associated with new social isolation, we used logistic regression analysis to calculate multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the newly socially isolated group versus the not socially isolated group by sex.
New social isolation was associated with several lifestyle and psychosocial factors, exhibiting differences between men and women. Among men, factors associated with new social isolation were not currently smoking among those without house damage, living alone among those with house damage, and no exercise habits among those who experienced the death of family members due to GEJE. Among women who lost family members due to GEJE, insomnia was associated with new social isolation.
The occurrence of new social isolation years after the GEJE and its associated factors varied by sex and the presence of GEJE-related damages. To prevent new social isolation in the aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster, it is crucial to consider sex-specific factors contributing to social isolation.
灾难经历对社会隔离及相关因素的影响仍不明确。本研究利用纵向数据，旨在确定2011年3月11日发生的东日本大地震（GEJE）后新出现的社会隔离情况及其相关因素。
我们分析了12795名参与者自填问卷的纵向数据，采用鲁本社会网络量表-6（LSNS-6）。参与者包括4450名男性和8345名女性；分析样本的性别比例与基线时研究人群的性别比例大致一致。基线数据在2013财年至2015财年收集，随访数据在2017财年至2019财年收集。社会隔离定义为LSNS-6得分<12分。根据第二次调查中的社会隔离水平，参与者被分为两组：非社会隔离组和新出现社会隔离组。为了研究与新出现社会隔离相关的因素，我们使用逻辑回归分析，按性别计算新出现社会隔离组与非社会隔离组的多变量调整优势比（OR）和95%置信区间（CI）。
新出现的社会隔离与多种生活方式和心理社会因素相关，且男女之间存在差异。在男性中，与新出现社会隔离相关的因素包括房屋未受损者当前不吸烟、房屋受损者独居以及因GEJE经历家庭成员死亡者无运动习惯。在因GEJE失去家庭成员的女性中，失眠与新出现的社会隔离相关。
GEJE多年后新出现社会隔离的情况及其相关因素因性别和GEJE相关损害的存在而有所不同。为预防大规模自然灾害后新出现的社会隔离，考虑导致社会隔离的性别特异性因素至关重要。
