Psychiatry Investig.  2021 Sep;18(9):809-817. 10.30773/pi.2021.0027.

Factors Associated With Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older People Exposed to the Jeju 4·3 Incident

• Kim MD
• Jung YE

• KMID: 2520271
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2021.0027

Abstract

Objective
We explored factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL), including socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, in among older people exposed to the Jeju 4·3 incident, and aimed to determine the effects of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and perceived social support on HRQOL.
Methods
We obtained data from 110 survivors and 1,011 immediate family members of the victims of the Jeju April 3 incident (mean age, 75.1 years), and evaluated the relationships of HRQOL with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics including posttraumatic and depressive symptoms, and perceived social support.
Results
Poorer physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment HRQOL domain scores were strongly associated with older age, being a woman, poor socioeconomic status, and symptoms of depression and PTSD. The regression analyses indicated that, when relevant factors were controlled for, perceived social support moderated the negative association between HRQOL and psychiatric symptoms.
Conclusion
Our results suggest the importance of sociodemographic characteristics, in addition to psychiatric symptoms, for understanding HRQOL in older people exposed to the Jeju 4·3 incident. These results have important implications for interventions aiming to improve the HRQOL of the victims of the Jeju 4·3 incident.

Keyword

Jeju April 3 incident; Health-related quality of life; PTSD; Depression; Older people