Journal List > J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs > v.30(2) > 1128985

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

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.

References

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Table 1.
General Characteristics of the Study Subjects (N=1,659)
Variables Characteristics n (%) M±SD Quality of life
M±SD t or F (p)
Gender Male 820 (49.4) 21.94±4.54 4.15 (<.001)
Female 839 (50.6) 21.01±4.58
Age (year) ≤39a 185 (11.2) 60.87±16.83 23.02±5.21 21.41 (<.001)
40~49b 144 (8.7) 22.26±4.14 a, b, c>d
50~59c 351 (21.2) 22.34±4.67
≥60d 978 (59.0) 20.75±4.34
Marital status Singlea 176 (10.6) 22.70±5.44 22.01 (<.001)
Marriedb 1,262 (76.1) 21.60±4.37 a>b>c
Divorced, Widow/erc 221 (13.3) 19.80±4.59
Education ≤Elementary schoola 655 (39.5) 20.21±4.24 43.18 (<.001)
<High schoolb 356 (21.5) 22.38±4.57 a<b, c
≥High schoolc 647 (39.0) 22.25±4.64
Average monthly income (millions won) <2a 857 (51.7) 2.87±1.75 19.63±4.21 186.56 (<.001)
2~4b 548 (33.0) 22.96±4.02 a<b<c
>4c 254 (15.3) 24.47±4.16
Type of disaster Typhoon 1,382 (83.3) 21.61±4.58 2.70 (.044)
Heavy rain 251 (15.2) 20.72±4.55
Fire 12 (0.7) 21.20±4.89
Earthquake 14 (0.8) 21.44±4.09
Perceived losses Minimuma 79 (4.8) 21.85±5.06 24.21 (<.001)
Moderateb 363 (21.9) 20.02±4.82 a, b<c
Severec 1,217 (73.3) 21.88±4.38
Support received post-earthquake Lowa 745 (44.9) 20.85±4.61 24.0 (<.001)
Averageb 637 (38.4) 21.52±4.41 a, b<c
Highc 276 (16.6) 23.05±4.51
Perceived health status Lowa 478 (28.8) 18.88±3.77 191.30 (<.001)
Averageb 496 (29.9) 21.00±3.41 a<b<c
Highc 685 (41.3) 23.63±4.79
Depression Normal (<8) 1,432 (86.3) 22.05±4.34 12.28 (<.001)
High risk (≥9) 227 (13.7) 17.25±4.11
PTSD Normal (<24) 1,461 (88.1) 22.00±4.48 14.7 (<.001)
High risk (≥25) 198 (11.9) 18.16±3.73
Resilience Low (≤19) 896 (54.0) 19.39±4.13 -23.07 (<.001)
High (≥20) 763 (46.0) 23.92±3.81
Social support Low (≤41) 731 (44.1) 19.59±4.41 -15.96 (<.001)
High (≥42) 928 (55.9) 22.96±4.15

PTSD=post-traumatic stress disorders;

Scheffé test.

Table 2.
Relation among Depression, Resilience, Social Support, and Quality of Life (N=1,659)
Variables 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p) r (p)
1. Age 1
2. Average monthly -.38 1
income (<.001)
3. Perceived losses .10 .04 1
(<.001) (.137)
4. Support received -.05 .13 -.05 1
post-earthquake (.063) (<.001) (.045)
5. Perceived health -.52 .39 -.13 .07 1
status (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (.003)
6. Depression .25 -.21 .08 -.10 -.44 1
(<.001) (<.001) (.002) (<.001) (<.001)
7. PTSD .11 -.16 .05 -.04 -.33 .58 1
(<.001) (<.001) (.046) (.141) (<.001) (<.001)
8. Resilience -.19 .30 .04 .17 .40 -.37 -.29 1
(<.001) (<.001) (.131) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001)
9. Social support -.04 .22 .24 .16 .11 -.08 .02 .34 1
(.141) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (.002) (.479) (<.001)
10. Quality of life -.21 .39 .08 .18 .53 -.41 -.34 .53 .53 1
(<.001) (<.001) (.001) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001) (<.001)

PTSD=post-traumatic stress disorders.

Table 3.
Factors associated with Quality of Life (N=1,659)
Variables B SE β t p
Social support 0.21 0.01 .43 24.31 <.001
Perceived health status 1.06 0.06 .33 16.38 <.001
PTSD -0.05 0.01 -.14 -7.52 <.001
Resilience 0.17 0.02 .14 7.77 <.001
Average monthly income 0.29 0.05 .11 6.13 <.001
Depression -0.10 0.02 -.10 -4.82 <.001
Age 0.02 0.01 .08 4.61 <.001
Support received post-earthquake 0.19 0.08 .04 2.55 .011
Size of loss 0.19 0.08 .04 2.28 .023
F=5.21 (p=.023), R2=.63, Adjusted R2=.62

PTSD=post-traumatic stress disorders.

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