Background: The practice of Inochi-tendenko, which encourages individuals to focus on saving themselves to prevent further casualties, has proven extremely effective in saving lives. Although this principle gained significant public attention following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the degree to which people comprehend and internalize its rationale remains limited and few empirical investigations examined the psychological and emotional barriers that inhibit its application. In this study, we collected triad data from university students and their parents to identify factors that impede adherence to Inochi-tendenko during hypothetical sediment-related disaster situations.
Methods: A total of 103 female university students, 101 mothers, and 97 fathers participated in the survey. Participants were asked to imagine a situation in which they faced a sediment-related disaster and were unable to contact their family members. In this hypothetical scenario, they indicated whether they would choose to evacuate immediately or attempt to rescue their family members. Additionally, they completed questionnaires assessing emotional reactions and rational evaluations associated with the Inochi-tendenko principle.
Results: In the sediment-related disaster dilemma, a higher proportion of mothers (75.0%) and fathers (80.2%) chose to "rescue their family members" compared to students (46.0%). Their tendency to choose rescue behavior appeared to be driven by intense negative emotional responses toward the concept of self-prioritized evacuation embodied in Inochi-tendenko.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that, in promoting the importance of Inochi-tendenko and similar principles that emphasize self-assistance, it is crucial to frame and communicate these messages in emotionally sensitive ways that minimize moral conflict or misinterpretation. Furthermore, the observed differences in behavioral choices between students and their parents highlight generational and role-based variations in risk perception and moral reasoning. Developing disaster-prevention and mitigation strategies that integrate these psychological and familial perspectives is therefore essential for fostering effective life-saving behavior during disasters.