Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the field of children psycho-trauma following natural disasters with relevancy to the Japanese socio-cultural context in general and the Tohoku Disaster in particular, aiming to shed further light on this field's current needs and methodological implications in Japan.

Paper long abstract:

Disasters may hold profound and long-term implications on childhood, a crucial period for psychological development. On the social level, dramatic mass disasters can significantly affect the lives of not just one child but possibly also of her or his entire generation. Japan is the most disaster-prone country in the world, containing traditional and contemporary attitudes and practices both towards nature and mental suffering. Yet, psychological research of children following natural disasters in Japan seems relatively limited. Moreover, most of the existing psychological studies do not address the socio-cultural aspects of coping with disasters thoroughly, mainly due to the field's dominant positivist research approach. As a necessary complement, the unprecedented 2011 Tohoku's chain of disasters requires a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of this disaster psychological implications on childhood.

This paper is based on an ongoing psycho-cultural research of childhood following the Tohoku disaster (2011) and the Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004). It will refer to commonly studied psychological responses to disasters as well as to children's place in the psycho-trauma discourse, focusing on this field's limitations and current needs for further research with relevancy to Japan. The paper will also discuss principles of the narrative research approach which this study employs, while reflecting on the Japanese context. In particular, in this opportunity I will also embrace the perspective offered by this section, and address theoretical and methodological aspects of this study also through the lenses of bodily expressions, affect and non-verbal communication. This will include for instance, physical displays of distress in Japan and among children, as well as the unique nature that narrative interview encounters may take in Japan, as unfolding much more than words.