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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 11/2015

01-11-2015 | Original Paper

Mental health and alcohol problems among Estonian cleanup workers 24 years after the Chernobyl accident

Authors: Kaia Laidra, Kaja Rahu, Mare Tekkel, Anu Aluoja, Mall Leinsalu

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 11/2015

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Abstract

Purpose

To study the long-term mental health consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident among cleanup workers from Estonia.

Methods

In 2010, 614 Estonian Chernobyl cleanup workers and 706 geographically and age-matched population-based controls completed a mail survey that included self-rated health, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL), alcohol symptoms (AUDIT), and scales measuring depressive, anxiety, agoraphobia, fatigue, insomnia, and somatization symptoms. Respondents were dichotomized into high (top quartile) and low symptom groups on each measure.

Results

Logistic regression analysis detected significant differences between cleanup workers and controls on all measures even after adjustment for ethnicity, education, marital status, and employment status. The strongest difference was found for somatization, with cleanup workers being three times more likely than controls to score in the top quartile (OR = 3.28, 95 % CI 2.39–4.52), whereas for alcohol problems the difference was half as large (OR = 1.52, 95 % CI 1.16–1.99). Among cleanup workers, arrival at Chernobyl in 1986 (vs. later) was associated with sleep problems, somatization, and symptoms of agoraphobia.

Conclusion

The toll of cleanup work was evident 24 years after the Chernobyl accident among Estonian cleanup workers indicating the need for focused mental health interventions.
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Metadata
Title
Mental health and alcohol problems among Estonian cleanup workers 24 years after the Chernobyl accident
Authors
Kaia Laidra
Kaja Rahu
Mare Tekkel
Anu Aluoja
Mall Leinsalu
Publication date
01-11-2015
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 11/2015
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-015-1102-6

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