Factors Influencing Disaster-Incident-Related Impacts on Korean Nursing Students

The frequency of earthquakes in South Korea is increasing. This study aimed to examine and identify the factors influencing the degree of disaster-incident-related impacts among Korean nursing students who have actual disaster experience. The study sample consisted of 153 nursing students living around the Phohang-si area in Gyeongsang-do, South Korea, and who have actual disaster-incident-related experience. Measures used in this study were the Impact of Event Scale, Perceived Health Status Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale, and Coping Strategy Indicator (Korean version). The data collection period was from October to December 2018. Factors that influence disaster-incident-related impacts among Korean nursing students in descending order are as follows: perceived health status (β = 0.48), gender (β = -0.28), coping skill (β = 0.18), psychological well-being (β = 0.14), need for disaster education (β = 0.12), and major satisfaction (β = -0.12). This study provides preliminary evidence that perceived health status is a major and primary predictor of disaster-incident-related impacts among Korean nursing students, followed by coping skill and psychological well-being. The findings can be reflected in a pertinent curriculum by actively considering these factors in designing nursing education interventions for managing disaster-incident-related impacts among Korean nursing students.