The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and subsequent devastating tsunami struck the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. According to the previous studies about displaced evacuees, increases in suicide rates and social isolation (especially among older adults) have been reported. However, the living condition of residents at prefabricated temporary housing after GEJE is unclear.

To explore potential factors which might relate to social isolation and suicidal thoughts among older adults by using a qualitative method.

Inclusion criteria for this study were older adults over 65 years living in prefabricated temporary housing since the GEJE. Data were collected by face-to-face-interviews with semi-structured questionnaire between October and December 2014. The protocol of this study was approved by the Ethics Board of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology. This research was supported by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan (No.H25-iryou-shitei-003).

Twenty older adults participated in the study. Most of them had been engaged in agriculture or fishery and experienced the sudden loss of family members, friends, and property in the aftermath of the GEJE. Findings indicated that social connections formed through the collective construction of prefabricated temporary housing. The study found that individuals who had less emotional and financial support experienced a greater feeling of sadness, social isolation, and suicidal thoughts. The study also suggested that people who live in temporary housing are strongly affected by economic insecurity and that it aggravates the risks for social isolation and psychological distress.

Although there were limitations regarding standardization and compatibility, this research found that the qualitative method can obtain the data which the quantitative method cannot reach. Scale-up of universal guidelines including the knowledge from qualitative research and case report under the devastating disaster setting is anticipated for better evidence base for next coming disaster.