Abstract
Objective: Natural disasters are intensifying due to climate change. Sense of Coherence (SOC) enhances a community's resilience to disasters (Sutton et al., 2020). Public health nurses (PHNs) are required to enhance people's SOC to prevent health crises(Sofyana et al., 2022).Previous studies found that PHNs in islands recognized that while islands are vulnerable to disasters, they also possess a culture regarding disaster preparedness(Marutani et al., 2020) .This study identifies elements within the culture of remote islands, as understood by public health nurses, that align with SOC.
Methods：In 2023–2024, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven PHNs on five islands regarding disaster-related culture. We conducted a qualitative descriptive analysis and created themes regarding disaster-related culture. This study was approved by the principal investigator's research ethics review committee.
Results: Four themes and eleven categories were created.
The first theme encompassed the categories [Barrier-Free Information Sharing] and [Information Transmission Faster-than-Internet]. An example was “sharing a unique phone directory for the island that also included maps and family structures.”
The second theme comprised five categories: [Trust-Based Reciprocity], [Self-Reliance as a Natural State] and others. Specifically, it was that “the community center designated as an evacuation shelter is used for neighborhood events on a daily basis.”
The third theme consisted of [inherited reciprocity] and [reciprocity as a matter of life and death]. Specifically, this meant “when a roof blew off, the neighborhood or relatives repaired it.”
The fourth theme included [varying levels of expectations toward the mainland] and [differences in the intensity of reciprocity between settlements and generations]. Specifically, it was “peoples’ been going to gatherings with friends more often than neighborhood festivals.”
Conclusion: The four themes correspond to the elements of SOC: comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness, and boundaries. (Braun-Lewensohn et al., 2017). The compactness of islands and the isolation from the mainland fosters those SOC elements. However, PHNs should deal with fluctuations in the boundaries described as (Honda et al., 2018).
Notes
This study carried out with the support of KAKENHI (22K11224)
References:
Braun-Lewensohn, O., Idan, O., Lindström, B., & Margalit, M. (2017). Salutogenesis: Sense of Coherence in Adolescence. In M. B. Mittelmark, S. Sagy, M. Eriksson, G. F. Bauer, J. M. Pelikan, B. Lindström, & G. A. Espnes (Eds.), The Handbook of Salutogenesis (pp. 123-136). Springer
Copyright 2017, The Author(s). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04600-6_14
Honda, H., Kawaharada, M., Shindo, Y., Tanaka, R., Nakajima, A., & Nimura, Y. (2018). Social capital in Japan: What characteristics do public health nurses see in their communities? Japan Journal of Nursing Science, 15(2), 135-145.
Marutani, M., Kodama, S., & Harada, N. (2020). Japanese public health nurses' culturally sensitive disaster nursing for small island communities. Island Studies Journal, 15(2), 371-386.
Sofyana, H., Ibrahim, K., Afriandi, I., Herawati, E., & Wahito Nugroho, H. S. (2022). The need for a preparedness training model on disaster risk reduction based on culturally sensitive public health nursing (PHN). International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(24), 16467.
Sutton, S. A., Paton, D., Buergelt, P., Sagala, S., & Meilianda, E. (2020). Sustaining a transformative disaster risk reduction strategy: grandmothers’ telling and singing tsunami stories for over 100 years saving lives on Simeulue Island. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(21), 7764.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Public and Community Health, Competence, Global Health Issues, Ethics, Sense of Coherence, Disaster Resilience, Indigenous Peoples, Emergency Management, Public Health Nurses, Japan
Recommended Citation
Marutani, Miki; Aoki, Sagiri; Anzai, Yukiko; Okuda, Hiroko; Kako, Mayumi; and Fukita, Susumu, "Japanese Public Health Nurses' Culturally Sensitive Disaster Nursing in Islands - Focusing on SOC" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 78.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/78
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-27
Japanese Public Health Nurses' Culturally Sensitive Disaster Nursing in Islands - Focusing on SOC
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Objective: Natural disasters are intensifying due to climate change. Sense of Coherence (SOC) enhances a community's resilience to disasters (Sutton et al., 2020). Public health nurses (PHNs) are required to enhance people's SOC to prevent health crises(Sofyana et al., 2022).Previous studies found that PHNs in islands recognized that while islands are vulnerable to disasters, they also possess a culture regarding disaster preparedness(Marutani et al., 2020) .This study identifies elements within the culture of remote islands, as understood by public health nurses, that align with SOC.
Methods：In 2023–2024, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven PHNs on five islands regarding disaster-related culture. We conducted a qualitative descriptive analysis and created themes regarding disaster-related culture. This study was approved by the principal investigator's research ethics review committee.
Results: Four themes and eleven categories were created.
The first theme encompassed the categories [Barrier-Free Information Sharing] and [Information Transmission Faster-than-Internet]. An example was “sharing a unique phone directory for the island that also included maps and family structures.”
The second theme comprised five categories: [Trust-Based Reciprocity], [Self-Reliance as a Natural State] and others. Specifically, it was that “the community center designated as an evacuation shelter is used for neighborhood events on a daily basis.”
The third theme consisted of [inherited reciprocity] and [reciprocity as a matter of life and death]. Specifically, this meant “when a roof blew off, the neighborhood or relatives repaired it.”
The fourth theme included [varying levels of expectations toward the mainland] and [differences in the intensity of reciprocity between settlements and generations]. Specifically, it was “peoples’ been going to gatherings with friends more often than neighborhood festivals.”
Conclusion: The four themes correspond to the elements of SOC: comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness, and boundaries. (Braun-Lewensohn et al., 2017). The compactness of islands and the isolation from the mainland fosters those SOC elements. However, PHNs should deal with fluctuations in the boundaries described as (Honda et al., 2018).
Description
This study identifies elements within the culture of islands that align with SOC. The compactness of islands and the isolation from the mainland fosters SOC of islanders. PHNs are required to intentionally preserve and nurture these cultures.