Natural disasters and the life course paradigm: The case of 2011 Japanese triple disaster

Recent research in several disciplines suggests the use of the life course paradigm for understanding the effects of natural disasters on people. This study examines the effects of the March 2011 Japanese disaster in the context of the life course paradigm. While all previous studies on the effects of natural disasters have been based on surveys using retrospective measures of disasters and their effects, the present study is unique in that it uses data from surveys completed before and after the Japanese disaster, allowing the assessment of the effects of this disaster from a natural experiment. The findings support the value of the life course paradigm in understanding the processes by which people's lives are affected by disasters, including their consumption behaviors in response to disasters.