The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with the psychological impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on high school students 1 year and 4 months after the disaster, and clarify support needs of the students. In the outreach program for students of three high schools in coastal areas of southern Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, 1,973 students were surveyed after obtaining informed consent for participation. Questionnaires included: the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-J), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Impact of Event Scale-revised (IES-R), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC10). All scores were compared using SPSS 20.0 J between school grades, locations of the schools, and extent of damage due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Our analysis showed a significant positive correlation between school grades and the level of anxiety. PTSR scores, but not anxiety nor depressive scores, of students whose lives have suffered extensive damage were significantly higher than those of students who have not. Students of high schools which have suffered extensive damage and use temporary buildings showed significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety, and significantly lower resilience, compared to students of high schools which were not damaged. Although previous findings demonstrated that younger children have a higher risk of being influenced by disasters, symptoms related to PTSR and depression were found frequently in the high school students as well. Among the high school students, our analysis showed a positive correlation between the level of anxiety and school grades, probably because the disaster has affected an influential and pivotal point in their lives.
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