Trajectories of quality of life among disaster victims: A national longitudinal studyopen access
- Authors
- Lee, Haeyoung; Kim, Yujeong
- Issue Date
- Jul-2024
- Publisher
- WILEY
- Keywords
- Disaster nursing; South Korea; disaster planning; disasters; longitudinal research; quality of life
- Citation
- International nursing review
- Journal Title
- International nursing review
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/75200
- DOI
- 10.1111/inr.13015
- ISSN
- 0020-8132
1466-7657
- Abstract
- OBJECTIVE: This study categorized quality-of-life trajectories among disaster victims in South Korea and identified the characteristics and predictors of each trajectory. BACKGROUND: Disaster victims experience tremendous physical and mental distress, which has a long-term impact on their quality of life. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data obtained from the fourth Long-term Survey on the Change of Life of Disaster Victims conducted from 2017 to 2019. The study included 257 participants who experienced a typhoon, earthquake, or fire and completed the three-year follow-up. Latent transition analysis was used to identify the potential class of quality-of-life trajectories among disaster victims. Independent t tests, χ2 tests, and logistic regression were used to identify the predictors of quality-of-life trajectories. RESULTS: Two latent quality-of-life classes were identified: persistent low-level and persistent high-level. Factors associated with the persistent high-level trajectory included higher education level, no injury/disease from the disaster, better subjective health status, higher social support, and lower social maladjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life early after a disaster is maintained throughout subsequent years; early and active support following disasters is essential to promote its rapid improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted educational programs in disaster-prone areas are recommended to bolster resilience among individuals with lower education. Moreover, governmental and institutional efforts are needed to support victims who lack resources for disaster recovery. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to establish community-based social support systems and enhance nurses' disaster response capabilities to support vulnerable groups, with such interventions tailored to reflect disaster-affected victims' unique characteristics and needs, along with ongoing research and evaluation for continuous improvements to nursing practice and disaster response. © 2024 The Author(s). International Nursing Review published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Council of Nurses.
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Collections - Red Cross College of Nursing > Department of Nursing > 1. Journal Articles
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