Disaster-area kids under hard stress via The Japan Times

Many children have developed a fear of water and appear weak and prone to sickness. And in Fukushima, fears of radiation among adults appear to have had an impact on children.
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For people living in Fukushima, stress related to radioactive fallout has deepened.

Yuji Tsutsui, 47, a professor of experimental psychology at Fukushima University, said many 3-year-old children studied in areas with high radiation levels are displaying spoiled attitudes and clinging behavior toward their parents.

Tsutsui attributed the trend to parents with radiation-related anxieties and expressed concern that the future physical strength and weight of their children may be affected by the trauma.

In Koriyama, Fukushima, the weight of about 30 4-year-olds was recorded until they turned 5. It was found that their weight increased at an average annual rate of 2.4 kg before the disaster struck, but the annual rise shrank to 1.5 kg afterward.

Pediatrician Shintaro Kikuchi, 42, of Koriyama, who conducted the study, warned this is a clear sign something abnormal is occurring.

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2 Responses to Disaster-area kids under hard stress via The Japan Times

  1. norma field says:

    And now we have to add children’s “spoiled attitudes” to the risks of nuclear disasters ….
    How about serious efforts to help these children and their families leave? at least leave for extended recuperation?

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