Difficulties faced by Korean disaster relief workers while providing humanitarian aid: A descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Disaster medicine
• Humanitarian aid operations
• Occupational health

Background:

• Humanitarian aid workers face unique challenges during disaster relief operations.
• Understanding these difficulties is crucial for improving support and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze the difficulties encountered by Korean disaster relief workers during international humanitarian aid deployment.
• To investigate the impact of sociodemographic factors on these experienced difficulties.

Main Methods:

• A convenience sample of 107 Korean disaster relief workers (aged >18) who had been deployed overseas participated.
• The Humanitarian Aid Difficulty Scale (23 items, 5 factors) was used to assess perceived difficulties.
• Data were analyzed considering item-specific ratings, factor scores, and sociodemographic variables.

Main Results:

• The average difficulty rating was 2.64/5. Highest item difficulty was bathroom use; lowest was team cooperation.
• Infrastructure emerged as the primary difficulty factor, followed by health conditions, goods/equipment, culture/customs, and cooperation.
• Age and occupation significantly influenced perceptions of culture/customs, cooperation, and goods/equipment difficulties.

Conclusions:

• Disaster relief workers experience substantial difficulties, with infrastructure and health being major concerns.
• Sociodemographic factors like age and occupation play a role in the challenges faced.
• Findings underscore the necessity of enhancing worker welfare and conducting further occupation-specific research.