A study of Disaster Survivors in Korea

Original Article

Psychiatry Investigation 2004;1(1):68-75.

Min Soo Lee, MD, PhD1;Rhee Hun Kang, MD1;Byung Joo Ham, MD2;Yun Kyeung Choi, MA1;Chang Su Han, MD1;Heon Jeong Lee, MD1;Seung Hwan Lee, MD3;Sung Mee Kim, MD4; and Hong Seock Lee, MD5;

¹;Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, ²;Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, ³;Department of Psychiatry, Inje University College of Medicine, Ilsanpaik Ho

Abstract

Objectives：
The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical manifestation of psychiatric symptoms and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles, and to examine the factors affecting the Degree of symptom severity, among survivors of a man-made disaster in Korea.

Methods

：
Survivors of the Sampoong Department Store collapse were evaluated in October 1995, 5 months after the disaster occurred. Among the original 681 subjects, 624 were evaluated using the Psychiatric Evaluation Form, and the MMPI.

Results

：
The primary complaint was sleep disturbance (54.2%), which was followed by headaches (31.8%) and intense distress over reminders of the event (24.2%). Most subjects (90.4%) showed a variety of psychiatric symptoms with certain factors further affecting the degree of severity. Another result showed that the severity of the subjects' symptoms increased as their age increased and their educational level decreased. Divorced and widowed survivors had more severe symptoms, as did those who had experienced a loss of consciousness or who had waited a long time to be rescued. In the MMPI, the mean Welsh code profile configuration was 13726-0894/5: F-KL: and the most common two-and three-point code types were 1-3/3-1 (15.4%) and 1-3-7/1-7-3 (8.4%), respectively.

Conclusions


：
The results indicate that it is possible to identify the specific psychiatric symptoms that resulted from this disaster, and that a substantial segment of the adult population exposed to similar events may experience symptoms of post traumatic stress. The psychiatric symptoms and the factors affecting the severity of the symptoms identified in this study may prove useful in the future screening of disaster victims for appropriate evaluation and treatment.