Factors associated with Quality of Life among Disaster Victims: An Analysis of the 3^rd Nationwide Panel Survey of Disaster Victims

Article information

Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2019;30(2):217-225

Publication date (electronic) : 2019 June 12

doi : https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2019.30.2.217

Research Professor, Ewha Research Institute of Nursing Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding author: Cho, Myong Sun Ewha Research Institute of Nursing Science, Ewha Womans University, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea. Tel: +82-2-3277-6515, Fax: +82-2-3277-2850, E-mail: msunny.cho@ewha.ac.kr

Received 2018 December 13; Revised 2019 April 15; Accepted 2019 May 09.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess socio-demographic, disaster-related, physical health-related, psychological, and social factors that may adversely affect disaster victims’ QoL (Quality of Life).

Methods

A cross sectional study was designed by using the secondary data. From the 3rd Disaster Victims Panel Survey (2012~2017), a total of 1,659 data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate linear regression.

Results

Older people with lower health status lacking financial resources prior to a disaster were more at risk of low levels of QoL. Lower levels of perceived health status, resilience, and QoL were reported by disaster exposed individuals, while their depression was higher than the depression in the control group of disaster unexposed ones. Resilience, social and material supports were positively associated with QoL whereas depression and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders) were negatively associated.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that psychological symptoms and loss due to disasters can have adverse impacts on the QoL of disaster victims in accordance with their prior socio-demographic background. They also indicate that targeted post-disaster community nursing intervention should be considered a means of increased social support as well as physical and mental health care for disaster victims.

Keywords: Disaster victims; Quality of life; Depression; Stress disorders; Post-traumatic; Social support

Table 1.

General Characteristics of the Study Subjects (N=1,659)

Table 2.

Relation among Depression, Resilience, Social Support, and Quality of Life (N=1,659)

Table 3.

Factors associated with Quality of Life (N=1,659)

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