Purpose

Previous studies have suggested that individuals affected by natural disasters experience changes in their cortisol levels. However, the associations have not been consistent, with results indicating either elevated cortisol levels or reduced levels. We examined serum cortisol levels among survivors who experienced housing damage in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods

A cross-sectional sample was drawn from a cohort of 9,148 survivors living in three affected municipalities in Iwate prefecture, Japan (mean age, 61.0 years; men, 38.9%). Serum cortisol levels were measured between 5 to 9 months after the 2011 disaster. Housing damage was categorized into three groups: no damage, major damage, and undamaged but inundated. The association between serum cortisol and housing damage was examined using generalized linear regression.

Results

Cortisol levels were significantly lower in individuals who experienced major damage or inundation compared the group with no damage (coefficient [95% confidence interval (CI)]: major damage group, -0.47 ug/dL [-0.64 to -0.30], P < 0.001; inundated group, -0.29 ug/dL [-0.54 to -0.03], P = 0.028).

Conclusions

Severe housing damage was related to lower cortisol levels in tsunami affected survivors.

中文翻译：

---

2011 年海啸灾难幸存者房屋损坏与血清皮质醇的关系

目的

先前的研究表明，受自然灾害影响的个体皮质醇水平会发生变化。然而，这些关联并不一致，结果表明皮质醇水平升高或水平降低。我们检查了 2011 年东日本大地震中房屋受损的幸存者的血清皮质醇水平。

方法

横断面样本来自日本岩手县三个受影响城市的 9,148 名幸存者（平均年龄，61.0 岁；男性，38.9%）。血清皮质醇水平是在 2011 年灾难发生后 5 至 9 个月内测量的。房屋损坏分为三组：无损坏、严重损坏和未损坏但被淹没。使用广义线性回归检查血清皮质醇和住房损害之间的关联。

结果

与无损伤组相比，经历严重损伤或淹没的个体皮质醇水平显着降低（系数 [95% 置信区间 (CI)]：严重损伤组，-0.47 ug/dL [-0.64 至 -0.30]，P < 0.001；淹没组，-0.29 ug/dL [-0.54 至 -0.03]，P = 0.028）。

结论

严重的房屋损坏与受海啸影响的幸存者的皮质醇水平较低有关。