• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.387-395
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the physical and mental health status of disaster victims according to disaster types, such as a typhoon disaster and an oil spill disaster, and to suggest adequate health care services for them. Methods: A total of 484 people who suffered disasters were selected for this study, and data were collected from July to August, 2008. The data-set for this study included 286 victims of typhoon disasters in Jeju and Jeollanamdo district in South Korea, and 198 victims of the oil spill disaster in Taean. Physical health status was measured using revised Patient Health Questionnaire and mental health status was measured using the Korean version of 'Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale'. Results: According to the comparative analyses of typhoon disaster victims and oil spill disaster victims, poorer physical health outcomes were shown among the oil spill disaster victims when compared to the typhoon disaster victims. Also, the oil spill disaster victims showed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, at rates higher than those found among the typhoon disaster victims. Conclusions: These findings suggest that there is a need to provide adequate physical and mental health-related care services for oil spill disaster victims. The seriousness of oil spill disaster should be realized and reconsidered in developing recovery strategies and disaster preparedness for physical and mental health services.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.5-34
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• 2011

There have been increasing incidents of natural and social disasters that claimed many lives and caused financial calamities worldwide, which call for an attention to mental health issues affecting disaster victims. This study reviewed the findings of the empirical research on the effects of disaster on the victims, the prevalence and determinants of the mental health problems. The disaster tends to disproportionately affect the socio-economically disadvantaged population and their mental health problems and recovery seemed to be heavily influenced by post-disaster experiences such as restoration of physical environment, prospect of economic recovery and resumption of normalcy in their lives, opportunities for participation in decision-making that affect their lives. Such findings suggest that the disaster mental health should shift from its traditional approach that focuses on short-term clinical interventions to alleviate acute mental distress for the victims to a public health approach that involve medical, social and economic interventions as well as community empowerment to prevent chronicity of the mental health problems and to improve the general quality of life of the individuals and the community adversely affected by the disaster. Implications for the social work research, policy making, education and practice were discussed.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.43-59
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• 2023

Objectives: Although a manual for a disaster medical support using Korean medicine doctors for disaster survivors has been developed, education programs for using the manual in disaster situations need to be developed. Thus, the purpose of this study was to analyze existing online education programs for disaster mental health to develop education programs for Korean medicine doctors. Methods: We conducted website searching for disaster mental health education programs using Google. Compositions, contents, hours, methods, costs, organizers, and targets of included educational programs were analyzed qualitatively. Results: After searching, eight websites among a total of 64 were included for the analysis. Lectures consisted of Psychological First Aid, Skills for Psychological Recovery, Self-Care, and Psychological Education after a disaster experience. Training hours for each program ranged from 30 minutes to 31 hours. All lectures were given only online. They could only be taken online. Free lectures were the most common ones. Most of them were for the general public. Conclusions: Findings of this study provide information regarding trends of online education programs for disaster mental health. Our information could be used for developing disaster trauma response education programs for Korean medicine doctors in the future.

• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2022

Although disaster research participants are in a more vulnerable state than general research participants, various ethical issues to be considered in the study may be overlooked due to the special situation of disaster. Therefore, research ethics should be considered to reduce damage to study participants and maximize benefits. In addition, from the perspective of researchers, ethical considerations should be applied in the disaster research process, so research ethics awareness should be established. In addition, at the health care institution and national level, it is necessary to prepare research ethics that reflect the Korean situation while meeting international standards in consideration of the characteristics of local communities. In Korea, after the Ferry Sewol accident in 2014, social interest in disaster mental health increased and the National Trauma Center was established in 2018, raising the need for disaster mental health ethics guidelines. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the significance of six items: specificity of the study, prior consent and autonomy, community participation, confidentiality and feedback provision, risk minimization, and research support. So far, the experience of disaster mental health research is not sufficient in South Korea. Therefore, the current guidelines are required to be continuously revised through practical experience in the future.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.84-93
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• 2019

Objective : The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between occupational stress and depression, as it is seen to be corresponding with the work characteristics of local government officials. Methods : The data of 671 local government officials who participated in this study from July to December 2015 as a part of an occupational stress management program, were analyzed retrospectively in this study. Likewise, the participants completed questionnaires, including a short form of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) the results of which were evaluated and reviewed. Results : The study noted that the subscales of occupational stress related to depression were varied, according to the work characteristics of the participants, after adjusting for age and job grade. It was found that the participant's variables of job insecurity, lack of reward, organizational system and occupational climate were significantly related to the development of a depressed mood in the participant in a general sense. Notably, the factor of interpersonal conflict was significantly related to depressed mood among the general administrative group; meanwhile, lack of reward in the welfare group and insufficient job control in the technical group were significantly associated with the likelihood of developing a depressed mood in participants reviewed. In the operation and maintenance of facilities group, job insecurity was significantly related with depressed mood, whereas job demand was related more with the incidence of depression in the field work group. Conclusion : This study revealed that the influence of occupational stress on depression varied according to the occupational characteristics experienced by the participants in the work environment. These findings may be used to enhance the occupational stress management program for local government officials according to their work characteristics, to bring awareness to this issue.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.77-86
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• 2011

Objectives : These days assaults and other natural and human disasters are increasing. But oriental medical treatment researches in Korea are limited in car accident PTSD patients only. Our object is to explore an oriental medical intervention model for the evidence-based approach to PTSD after diverse trauma including disasters. Methods : Domestic papers for Korean researches are obtained from oriental medical related journals by internet searching. International materials are obtained from PubMed searching and a publication from Department of Veterans' Affairs. After assorting searched articles into RCTs and non-RCTs, we analyzed the articles according to the elapsed time from trauma. Results : We confirmed that acupuncture, CBT, and PMR were effective in acute stage after traumatic event. And EMDR, EFT, and relaxation therapy were effective in chronic stage after traumatic event. Building on the findings, we proposed a model of oriental medicine for Disaster Mental Health. Conclusions : Analyzing previous researches about oriental medicine on PTSD, several interventions were confirmed the effectiveness on specific treatment stage. We could find the possibility of Oriental Medicine as a Disaster Mental Heath and proposed a model of Oriental medicine for Disaster Mental Health.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.161-171
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• 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the process of psychosocial assessment, the experience of intervention, and the improvement after the disaster that Danwon high school students survived from the sinking of the Motor Vessel (MV) Sewol in South Korea on April 16, 2014. Methods: We conducted in-depth qualitative research using individual interviews from January to February 2017. Twenty-one of 75 Danwon high school students survived by the MV Sewol disaster were studied. Two interviewers participated in the in-depth interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed through content analysis based on psychosocial assessment and intervention after the disaster. Results: Twenty-one participants were 20 years old, where 10 were male (47.62%), and 11 were female (52.38%). More than 75% of the interviewed students felt that mental health services were needed, and more than 85% required mental health assessments. Regarding psychiatric symptoms, the students reported that they suffered depression and insomnia (19.05%), anxiety (14.29%), nightmares and phobias (9.52%), and difficulties regarding concentration, aggression, and game addiction (4.76%). Conclusion: Despite survivors experiencing the same disaster, there were differences in their responses to mental health assessments and interventions experienced during the three years, and conflicting opinions were reported. In planning future evaluations and interventions, it is necessary for strategies to cope with flexibly to consider the characteristics and symptoms of the survivors while maintaining principles.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.895-903
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis on the mental health and health-related quality of life of the community residents who have been affected by the Sewol ferry disaster and to provide a basis for future aids for potential human-caused catastrophe. The study utilized the big data, Korean community health survey data of 3,632 (1,803 in 2018 and 1,829 in 2014) residents in Ansan and Jindo, a victimized community of Sewol ferry disaster, and compared the subjective level of health, amount of appropriate sleep, subjective stress level, stress consulting, depression, depression consulting, and health-related quality of life before and after the disaster. According to the findings, community residents who have been affected by the Sewol ferry disaster did not show any significant difference in terms of subjective health level, amount of appropriate sleep, subjective stress, and health-related quality of life. The study aims to serve as a foundational data for developing a prevention program or policy that aims to support future potential disasters by comparing the mental health and health-related quality of life of the victimized community before and after the disaster. The study suggests that the need for continuous monitoring of mental health and health-related quality of life of the victimized residents is significant, and further studies should be implemented in order to provide better supports for the local community.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.788-805
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the impact of Habitat for Humanity Korea's disaster risk reduction intervention on the mental health and satisfaction with life among residents of southern Bangladesh who had constantly suffered from disaster stress due to perennial flooding. Method: The target group was 138 residents who were pre-surveyed in August 2020 and post-surveyed in November 2021. The interventions consisted of individual incremental housing, public facilities for evacuation, and disaster response training for capacity development. The data were analysed using paired sample t-tests for pre-post changes and one-way analysis of variance to identify differences between treatment groups. Result: The results showed significant improvements in residents' depression, anxiety, somatisation and satisfaction with life after the intervention, with significant differences in mental health levels between the intervention treatments. Specifically, relatively higher disaster mitigation effects were found for individual infrastructure improvements and employment facilities compared to disaster response drills. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the positive role of Habitat for Humanity Korea's disaster risk reduction interventions on the mental health recovery of disaster victims and suggest practical approaches that can be applied in disaster risk areas.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.214-227
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the socio-demographic factors, the disaster related factors, the physical health related factors and the psychological factors of older adults exposed to natural disaster and these factors may possibly cause the occurrence of PTSD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed using the secondary data from the 3rd Disaster Victims Panel Survey (2012-2017). The data from 1,397 disaster victims were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. Results: Compared with the younger adult disaster victims, the elderly were more likely to have symptoms of PTSD (15.0% vs. 12.1%). Factors such as the number of years since being exposed to the disaster, anxiety, depression and social adjustment were significantly associated with occurrence of PTSD for both older and younger adults. Female gender was the additional risk factors for the older adults, while marital status, income, having witnessed another person's injury or death, and having lost a home were associated with the occurrence of PTSD. Conclusion: The elderly were more likely to develop PTSD as compared with younger adults. More targeted post-disaster mental health services to the elderly with the symptoms of depressive, anxiety and impaired social adjustments, should be provided to improve their mental health.