Trajectories of quality of life among disaster victims: A national longitudinal study

This study categorized quality-of-life trajectories among disaster victims in South Korea and identified the characteristics and predictors of each trajectory.

Disaster victims experience tremendous physical and mental distress, which has a long-term impact on their quality of life.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.