Efficacy of a Community-Based Trauma Recovery Program after a Fire Disaster

Abstract

As industries develop, fire disasters and their associated damage are increasing. Investigating the mental health of victims is imperative because this is an essential issue for community recovery after a disaster. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of a program implemented by a community mental health center based on the investigation of the victims' depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) levels immediately after the disaster and at one-year follow-up. As a result, victims' depression and PTSD recovered over time, and more changes were confirmed. In particular, the high-risk group for PTSD showed a high program participation rate, and there was significant recovery over time compared with the group without PTSD. Based on these results, community mental health programs are an effective way to increase community mental health after disasters. In the future, community-based recovery programs after disasters should be expanded, and administrative support for them should be developed.