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Does social capital reduce child behavior problems? Results from the Great East Japan Earthquake follow-up for Children Study

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Abstract

Purpose

We sought to investigate the association between social capital and child behavior problems in Iwate prefecture, Japan, in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods

Children and their caregivers were recruited from four nursery schools in coastal areas affected by the tsunami, as well as one in an unaffected inland area (N = 94). We assessed the following via caregiver questionnaire: perceptions of social capital in the community, child behavior problems (Child Behavior Checklist, Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, child’s exposure to trauma (e.g. loss of family members), and caregiver’s mental health (Impact of Event Scale-R for PTSD symptoms; K6 for general mental health). We collected details on trauma exposure by interviewing child participants. Structural equation modeling was used to assess whether the association between social capital and child behavior problems was mediated by caregiver’s mental health status.

Results

Children of caregivers who perceived higher community social capital (trust and mutual aid) showed fewer PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, caregiver’s mental health mediated the association between social trust and child PTSD symptoms. Social capital had no direct impact on child behavior problems.

Conclusions

Community social capital was indirectly associated (via caregiver mental health status) with child behavior problems following exposure to disaster. Community development to boost social capital among caregivers may help to prevent child behavior problems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the participants who contributed to this study. We also thank the child psychiatrists and psychologists who provided extra mental health support to participants when requested during interviews. In addition, we thank the research coordinators who managed the logistics of this study, and Ms. Emma Barber for her editorial assistance. This study is supported by a Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (H24-jisedai-shitei-007). The Great East Japan Earthquake Follow-up for Children Study Team is composed of Ms Mitsuko Miura, Iwate Medical University; Dr Hirokazu Yoshida, Miyagi Prefectural Comprehensive Children’s Center; Dr Yoshiko Yamamoto, Iwaki Meisei University; Ms Noriko Ohshima, Fukushima Gakuin University; Dr Keiichi Funahashi and Ms Mai Kuroda, Saitama Children’s Hospital; Dr Takahiro Hoshino, Musashino Gakuin School; Ms Rie Mizuki, Dr Line Akai, and Dr Yoshiyuki Tachibana, National Center for Child Health and Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Iwate, Japan

    Junko Yagi, Takehito Yambe & Akio Sakai

  2. Department of Social Medicine, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Takeo Fujiwara

  3. Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Takeo Fujiwara

  4. Department of Psychosocial Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Makiko Okuyama

  5. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA

    Ichiro Kawachi

Authors
  1. Junko Yagi
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  2. Takeo Fujiwara
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  3. Takehito Yambe
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  4. Makiko Okuyama
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  5. Ichiro Kawachi
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  6. Akio Sakai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Takeo Fujiwara.

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Yagi, J., Fujiwara, T., Yambe, T. et al. Does social capital reduce child behavior problems? Results from the Great East Japan Earthquake follow-up for Children Study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 51, 1117–1123 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1227-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1227-2

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