Activity report on camps for parents and children in the disaster area
～ Effects and issues gleaned from questionnaire survey results ～Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
Stem Center / Planning Division, Planning and Coordination Department
Psychiatric Social Worker / Reira Onuma
１． Introduction
It has been five years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, but affected families even now continue to livein temporary housing such as container type temporary housing, and children must endure educational
experiences in schoolyards and fields that have been used for disaster efforts. These conditions, which impose
stressful lifestyles on both families and schools, are thought to induce a variety of problems including theexacerbation of health in the mind and body as well as communication isolation.
The Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center (henceforth, “Center”) has established the “camp project forparents and children in the disaster area” (henceforth, “project”) so that parents and children may find recreationin an emergency environment, increase their awareness of mental health and improve their self-care capabilities.
The project was started as one of the disaster support initiatives of Tohoku Fukushi University in FY 2011, withthe center inheriting the project in FY 2012 and conducting it once a year. Here, we report FY 2014 initiatives
as well as effects and challenges from its implementation until now.
２． Summary of activities（１） Purpose
The project was implemented with the objectives of allowing for affected families to maintain andrecover their health, providing recreation in an emergency environment, and increasing self-care abilities.
（２） Date and location
Date
October 4th, 2014 (Saturday)
Location Children: Minamizao Campsite, National Hanayama Youth Outdoor Learning Center Parents:
HUMOS 5 rented conference room（３） Subjects
Subjects included elementary school students in the coastal regions of Sendai and Natori cities and theirparents. Participants were limited to under 30 individuals to ensure that staff can provide one-on-one
support for children.
（４） Staff
The staff comprised specialists registered in “Supporters’ clubs” which included specialists agreeing tocenter activities and teams of various professions including university students affiliated with medical
welfare in Miyagi Prefecture, in addition to center staff. Furthermore, we received cooperation from theMiyagi Council of Japanese Boy Scouts Association in Sendai District for planning operations.

－ 140 －（５）Methods① Questionnaire survey
We conducted a questionnaire survey with children and their parents regarding their disaster situationand mental/physical condition before and after the project. Additionally, indicators for mental/physicalconditions comprised a psychological rating scale for children (PTSSC-15) and the K6 scale for parents,
both of which were conducted before and after the project. Furthermore, parents and children wereasked to fill out a freeform questionnaire survey regarding their program participation.
② Program
We conducted programs for children and parents at different venues to ensure that both groups canhave a pleasant time during the project. Children were taken to a campsite away from the disaster area,and parents were taken to a venue nearby the meeting point. Parent program participation was only for
those who explicitly chose to do so.
Ａ． Children’s program
The children’s program involved outdoor activities and psychological education. Outdoor
activities involved cooking rice outdoors, fire-starting experiences, and recreational activities.
Psychological education was entitled “study of the mind”, which included relaxation such as
breathing techniques and muscle-relaxing therapy. Toys such as a blowing pipe were used to ensurethat children retained an interest in breathing techniques. We had children inhale deeply and practiceblowing the ball with steady breaths and had them practice abdominal breathing. Additionally, weallowed children to take home the blowing pipes so that they can continue to practice breathing
exercises at home. Muscle relaxing therapy constituted repetitions of tensing up muscles in bothhands or the shoulders and then suddenly releasing them.
Photograph 1 Study of the mind

Photograph 2 Breathing techniques with a blowing pipe

Ｂ． Parent program
We set up a “café corner” at the venue to ensure that participants can freely communicate.
Relaxation included “yoga” and “aroma hand massages”. Additionally, we conducted mini-lectures
on “stress” and “parent-child communication” as part of psychological education.
３． Results（１） Participation status
A breakdown of the number ofparticipants in FY 2014 is shown in
Table 1. Eight children out of the 20 total
participants had previously been
involved in the program.

Table 1 Details of participants

Subjects
Children

Number of participants
Note20(12 boys, 8 girls)
Average age 9.5years

Parents５(1 man, 4 women)－ 141 －

（２） Questionnaire survey
Questionnaire survey results for children after the camp project were received from 19 out of 20 of
the participating children. The majority of responses about the program included, “it was very fun” and“I was happy to meet my friends from the last time I participated”. Additionally, responses to the “studyof the mind” activity included, “I feel like I can relax my feelings with the breathing techniques and it
was a help”, “I can be kind to others”, and “I learned something”.
Figure 1 Questionnaire survey results: “study of the mind” freeform content<Opinions on the study of the mind> *Excerpt

・It was easy to understand・I learned something
・Listening to many things while rolling around helped me feel happier・Excited feelings eventually calmed down
・I was able to calm down・I think it was useful and it was a good experience・I feel like I got better at calming myself
・I learned many things that I didn’t know
・I found sleeping on the floor and doing deep breathing exercises very fun
・The blow ball pipe was fun

・I felt relaxed when I applied what I learned at the “study of the mind” back home

Questionnaire survey results for parents after the camp project were received from 15 out of the 16 of
the participating parents. Responses to the program overall included, “it was good to have my childparticipate in the program” and “it was good because it wasn’t only fun, but also taught children how torelax”. Additionally, responses to the parent program included, “I was able to have time for myself, andit was a good diversion” and “I hope that more opportunities like this arise”.
４． Discussion and future challenges（１） Achievement of activity objectives① On refreshing effects
We hosted a children’s program in campsites within the prefecture far away from the disaster area
and a parent’s program within indoor facilities near the gathering point so that victims who have been
forced to live in container type temporary housing after the Great East Japan Earthquake, whose schools
have been affected, and who have to have educational experiences in cramped schoolyards and fields
so that they can have even one day of mental refreshment.
For the children’s program, we collaborated with the Boy Scout Association, which has extensive
outdoor activities experience, for planning operations to ensure that children of all grades can enjoy theactivity while keeping in mind their safety. As a result, we found that the children’s program was aplace for fun experiences, as is evidenced by their responses which included, “I found the recreationaland fire-starting experiences very fun”, and “it was fun to cook food with everyone”.
Additionally, we incorporated “yoga” and “aroma hand massages” in a separate venue from thechildren for the parent’s program. As a result, we found that the parent program also resulted in arelaxation of anxieties, as evidenced by their responses including, “I was relaxed”, “I was soothed byhobbies such as aromatherapy and yoga”, and “I was relaxed because I usually never have anopportunity to be away from my children and to have my own time”.
From the above, we believe that we were able to relieve stress and create a diversion by putting somedistance between the victims and their daily lives and engaging in relaxation such as outdoor activities,yoga, and hand massages.
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② Improvement of self-care ability
We provided measures for addressing anxiety or nervousness during the “study of the mind”
psychological education session in the children’s program. Responses of participating children in themuscle-relaxing therapy, where they conducted abdominal breathing with a blowing pipe and lay on
their back, included “it was fun”, “it was easy to understand”, “I learned how to calm down”, and “Ienjoyed deep breathing”, which highlight the fact that the children learned self-care while having fun.
Parents also had positive responses to psychological education and they felt happy that their children
were able to learn self-care (ways to relax themselves) through the program.
Parents of children who have participated multiple times gave responses including, “I felt like mychildren have grown since participating in this project, and they actively engage in any project” and “byparticipating each year, the children incorporate the breathing techniques that they learned during
psychological education and are at a point where they teach their family members”. The fact that theseself-care methods which incorporate relaxation such as breathing techniques have spread to families
through the participating children indicates the positive influences on the mental health of theirsurrounding and the possibility of resulting in long-term improvements in mental health in the disasterarea.
（２） On the cooperation and operation of other organizations and professions
This project was facilitated not only by the center staff but also by teams composed of various
institutions and occupations, such as specialists from other organizations and student volunteers. We wereable to learn about care workers that provide victim support and regional specialists through this project,which lead to the establishment of new networks. Additionally, participants were able to learn about theexistence of the center as a consultation site for when they encounter future problems in their life or when
they have mental/physical problems. As various care workers withdraw from the region five years
following the earthquake, we felt the necessity of supplying and continuing this project in the future as anopportunity for providing an opportunity for care workers and social resources in the disaster area toconnect.
（３） Future challenges
One challenge faced was the small number of program participants the three times we have implemented
this project. This time, we conducted the parent program at the end of the day and allowed for partial
participation or withdrawal to ensure that the project can be held at a convenient time. Additionally, we setup “childcare services” to allow parents who have pre-school children to participate. As a result,participation has slightly increased and fathers have also joined. In the future, we would like to set up
program content that encourages more male participation.
５． Conclusion
Participants were able to alleviate their stress and create diversions through the implementation of thisproject. Additionally, the project provided an opportunity for teaching relaxation methods andimplementing self-care in daily life.
Project results over time showed the spread of self-care methods to participants and their surroundings
and the possibility of favorably influencing overall mental health. Furthermore, we anticipate that ourconnections among care workers will allow us to function as a consultation site for when participants feelunwell, and thus result in early prevention of health problems. For these reasons, it is thought that
continuing this project in the future in disaster areas will be necessary.

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