Researchers at Kanazawa University analyzed data from 16,296 adults affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake and the subsequent heavy rainfall disaster to examine factors associated with psychological distress and the relationships among social networks, loneliness, and purpose in life.
The study used data from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and Heavy Rainfall Disaster Survivor Health Survey, conducted by Ishikawa Prefecture in January and February 2025. Among the 13,492 participants with available K6 scores, 1,256 (9.3%) met the criterion for serious psychological distress.
Greater loneliness was associated with higher odds of serious psychological distress, whereas a stronger sense of purpose in life was associated with lower odds. Current housing type, self-rated health, frequency of going out, sleep duration, economic circumstances, disaster reminder-related emotional distress, and current mental illness were also associated with psychological distress. In contrast, indicators of earthquake- and heavy-rainfall-related damage or injury were not independently associated with serious psychological distress after adjustment for other factors.
Structural equation modeling further showed that stronger social networks were associated with lower loneliness and a greater sense of purpose in life, which in turn were associated with lower psychological distress. These findings suggest that the availability of social ties alone may not fully capture how people experience their relationships during disaster recovery.
“Our findings suggest that post-disaster support should not focus only on whether people have social connections,” said Tetsu Hirosawa, co-first author of the study. “It is also important to consider whether people feel lonely and whether they retain a sense of meaning, purpose, and role in daily life. Social connections, loneliness, and purpose in life are closely related, but they are not the same thing.”
The findings may help inform long-term disaster recovery. In addition to creating opportunities for social interaction, community-based support may benefit from assessing survivors’ subjective experiences of loneliness and supporting the restoration of meaningful activities, roles, and purpose. Because this was a cross-sectional study, the observed associations should not be interpreted as causal.
The study was based on survey data collected by Ishikawa Prefecture to assess the health status and support needs of disaster survivors. The authors thank Ishikawa Prefecture, the participating municipalities, and all residents who responded to the survey. The research was supported by the Moonshot Research and Development Program (JPMJMS229C-14a).
BMC Public Health
Social networks, loneliness, purpose in life, and psychological distress after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake: a community-based cross-sectional survey and structural equation modeling study
9-Sep-2026