The Changes in stress, symptoms, coping responses, and health behaviors during the IMF crisis

Cho, Mun Heum; Lee, Jong Han; Choi, Bong Hoon; Lee, Young Ho; Kim, Young Chul; Lee, Ga Young; Park, Tae Jin

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In Korea, there were many socioeconomic changes under the IMF management system. Therefore we assumed that the stress levels increased. This study was done to investigate the changes in people's stress, health behaviors, symptoms, and coping responses which might be affected by socioeconamic changes during the IMF crisis with in 1 year.
METHODS
In September, 1998, we sent questionnaires to a total of 560 persons who were over 18 years old and lived in Changwon city. We chose 359 subject who completed the survey. Assuming that the stress of ones own marriage was 50 points, we asked them what degree of stress was the previaus year and after August of 1997. Also, we asked them to estimate how much degree of stress had changed based on the 17 factors of life events according to Likert 5 points scale. Specifically, we investigated on how health behaviors were chared, how people responded to stress by using 19 coping options of Billing and Moos, and how the 20 symptoms were changed.
RESULTS
71.7% of subjects replied that income was within 1 year. The amount of stress was increased by 13.2 points compared to the stress previous year. The levels stress in men increased significantly more than in women(P=0.003), but there were no significant differences in terms of marital status, education, and age. With respect to the change of health behaviors, there was a tendency that the amount of exercise decreased significantly in subjects who had more stress(P=0.020). But there was no significant difference in the amount of smoking and drinking, in the frequency of drinking,sleeping time, and the regularity of eating. The health behavior score, the number of positive health behaviors, was significantly changed to negative in those whose stress increased(P=0.015). There was a tendency that the frequency of 15 symptoms among 20 symptoms significantly increased in those whose stress increased. Also, those whose stress increased significantly used more avoidant coping respanses(P=0.007).
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found that those whose stress levels increased within 1 year compared to the year before up to September of 1987, had their health behaviors significantly deteriorated, and had more symptoms with avoidant coping responses. In conclusion, we suggest that those whose stress levels increased should be guided to promote good health behaviors, to use active coping responses rather than avoidant coping responses, and should be given more social support.