Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-nlwjb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-10T13:13:17.875Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Post-disaster quality of life among older survivors five years after the Bam earthquake: implications for recovery policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2010

A. ARDALAN ,
M. MAZAHERI ,
M. VANROOYEN ,
H. MOWAFI ,
S. NEDJAT ,
K. HOLAKOUIE NAIENI  and
M. RUSSEL
A. ARDALAN*
Affiliation:
Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Disaster Public Health Department, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
M. MAZAHERI
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
M. VANROOYEN
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
H. MOWAFI
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
S. NEDJAT
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Knowledge Utilization Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
K. HOLAKOUIE NAIENI
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
M. RUSSEL
Affiliation:
Iranian Research Centre on Ageing at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
*
Address for correspondence: Ali Ardalan, No. 78, Italia Ave, Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: aardalan@gmail.comoraardalan@tums.ac.ir
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Older people are among the most vulnerable in major disasters. In their aftermath, it is crucial to institute efforts that will maintain a high level of elders' quality of life (QoL). This paper presents QoL assessments of elderly survivors five years after the Bam earthquake in Iran, and evaluates the determinants. A cross-sectional analysis of 210 randomly-selected survivors was carried out in 2008 using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. A comparison of the results with data on the general population showed that experiencing the earthquake may adversely affect psychological dimensions of QoL even five years after, but paradoxically the earthquake resulted in better social relationships in affected communities than in the general population. Lower QoL associated with female gender, higher age, living alone, severe earthquake-related injury, poor quality of living conditions, increased dependency in the activities of daily living, living in an urban area, and being temporarily housed. Recovery experts and donors should carry out long-term monitoring of health status and QoL in disaster-affected communities, with a focus on psychological wellbeing. Intervention programmes that emphasise post-disaster quality of care and satisfactory housing may lead to better QoL of the victims and may shorten the recovery phase.

Keywords

elderlydisasterearthquakequality of lifeIran

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , February 2011 , pp. 179 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Ahmadi, F., Salar, A. R. and Faghihzadeh, S. 2004. Quality of life of women in Zahedan. Hayat Quarterly, 22, 61–7. (In Persian)Google Scholar
Altindag, A., Ozen, S. and Sir, A. 2005. One-year follow-up study of posttraumatic stress disorder among earthquake survivors in Turkey. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 46, 5, 328–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ardalan, A., Holakouie Naieni, K., Aflatounian, M. R., Nekouie, M., LaPorte, R. E. and Noji, E. K. 2005. Experience of a population-based study on needs and health status of affected people in Bam. Iranian Journal of Epidemiology, 1, 1, 33–46.Google Scholar
Ardalan, A., Masoomi, G. R., Goya, M. M., Ghaffari, M., Miadfar, J., Sarvar, M. R., Soroush, M., Holakouie Naieni, K., Kabir, M. J., Khankeh, H. R., Abolshams, B. and Aghazadeh, M. 2009. Disaster health management: Iran's progress and challenges. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 38, supplement 1, 93–9.Google Scholar
Ardalan, A., Mazaheri, M., Rezaie, M., Holakouie Naieni, K. and Teimouri, F. 2010. Older people's needs following major disasters: a qualitative study of Iranian elders' experiences of the Bam earthquake. Ageing & Society, 30, 1, 11–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armenian, H. K., Morikawa, M., Melkonian, A. K., Hovanesian, A. P., Haroutunian, N., Saigh, P. A., Akiskal, K. and Akiskal, H. S. 2000. Loss as a determinant of PTSD in a cohort of adult survivors of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia: implications for policy. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 102, 1, 58–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bramston, P., Pretty, G. and Chipuer, H. 2002. Unravelling subjective quality of life: an investigation of individual and community determinants. Social Indicators Research, 59, 3, 261–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ceyhan, E. and Ceyhan, A. A. 2007. Earthquake survivors' quality of life and academic achievement six years after the earthquakes in Marmara, Turkey. Disasters, 31, 4, 516–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, C. H., Tan, H. K., Liao, L. R., Chen, H. H., Chan, C. C., Cheng, J. J. S., Chen, C. Y. and Lu, M. L. 2007. Long-term psychological outcome of 1999 Taiwan earthquake survivors: a survey of a high-risk sample with property damage. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 48, 3, 269–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chou, F. H. C., Chou, P., Lin, C., Su, T. P., Ou-Yang, W. C., Chien, I. C., Su, C. Y., Lu, M. K. and Chen, M. C. 2004 a. The relationship between quality of life and psychiatric impairment for a Taiwanese community post-earthquake. Quality of Life Research, 13, 6, 1089–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chou, F. H. C., Chou, P., Su, T. T. P., Ou-Yang, W. C., Chien, I. C., Lu, M. K. and Huang, M. W. 2004 b. Quality of life and related risk factors in a Taiwanese village population 21 months after an earthquake. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 5, 358–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farquhar, M. 1995. Elderly people's definitions of quality of life. Social Sciences and Medicine, 41, 10, 1439–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernandez, L. S., Byard, D., Lin, C. C., Benson, S. and Barbera, J. A. 2002. Frail elderly as disaster victims: emergency management strategies. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 17, 2, 67–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gallicchio, L., Hoffman, S. C. and Helzlsouer, K. J. 2007. The relationship between gender, social support, and health-related quality of life in a community-based study in Washington County Maryland. Quality of Life Research, 16, 5, 777–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, M. J. and Hayunga, M. 2008. We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters. American Association of Retired People, Washington DC. Available online at http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/better.pdf [Accessed 5 June 2009].Google Scholar
Hellstrom, Y. and Hallberg, I. R. 2004. Determinants and characteristics of help provision for elderly people living at home and in relation to quality of life. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 18, 4, 387–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lamb, K., O'Brien, C. and Fenza, P. J. 2010. Elders at risk during disasters. Home Healthcare Nurse, 26, 1, 30–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lasheras, C., Patterson, A. M., Casado, C. and Fernandez, S. 2001. Effects of education on the quality of life, diet, and cardiovascular risk factors in an elderly Spanish community population. Experimental Aging Research, 27, 3, 257–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, M. R., Huang, W., Huang, C., Hwang, H. F., Tsai, L. W. and Chiu, Y. N. 2002. The impact of the Chi-Chi earthquake on quality of life among elderly survivors in Taiwan: a before and after study. Quality of Life Research, 11, 4, 379–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montazeri, A., Baradaran, H., Omidvari, S., Azin, S. A., Ebadi, M., Garmaroudi, G. H., Harirchi, A. M. and Shariati, M. 2005. Psychological distress among Bam earthquake survivors in Iran: a population-based study. BMC Public Health, 5, 4. Available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/4 [Accessed 5 June 2009].CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mowad, L. 2004. Correlation of quality of life in older adult veterans. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 26, 3, 293–306.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nedjat, S. N., Majdzadeh, R., Kheiltash, A. and Jamshidi, E. 2009. Social capital and self-rated health in Tehran. Unpublished report, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.Google Scholar
Nedjat, S. N., Montazeri, A., Holakouie Naieni, K., Mohammad, K. and Majdzadeh, R. 2008. Psychometric properties of the Iranian interview-administered version of the WHOQOL-BREF: a population based study. BMC Health Service Research, 8, 61. Available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/61 [Accessed 5 June 2009].CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nejati, V., Shirinbayan, P., Akbari Kamrani, A. A., Foroughan, M., Taheri, P. and Sheikhvatan, M. 2008. Quality of life in elderly people in Kashan, Iran. Middle East Journal of Age and Ageing, 5, 2, 21–5.Google Scholar
Schroeder-Butterfill, E. and Marianti, R. 2006. A framework for understanding old-age vulnerabilities. Ageing & Society, 26, 1, 9–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharan, P., Chaudhary, G., Kavathekar, S. A. and Saxena, S. 1996. Preliminary report of psychiatric disorders in survivors of a severe earthquake. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 4, 556–8.Google ScholarPubMed
Sirgy, M. J. and Cornwell, T. 2002. How neighbourhood features affect quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 59, 1, 79–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suar, D., Mishra, S. and Khuntia, R. 2010. Placing age differences in the context of the Orissa supercyclone: who experiences psychological distress? Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 2, 117–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tajvar, M., Arab, M. and Montazeri, A. 2008. Determinants of health-related quality of life in elderly in Tehran, Iran. BMC Public Health, 8, 323. Available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/323 [Accessed 5 June 2009].CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tanida, N. 1996. What happened to elderly people in the great Hanshin earthquake? British Medical Journal, 313, 7065, 1133–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teymoori, F., Dadkhah, A. and Shirazikhah, M. 2006. Social welfare and health (mental, social, physical) status of aged people in Iran. Middle East Journal of Age and Ageing, 3, 1, 39–45.Google Scholar
Tsai, K. Y., Chou, P., Chou, F. H. C., Su, T. T. P., Lin, S. C., Lu, M. K., Ou-Yang, W. C., Su, C. Y., Chao, S. S., Huang, M. W., Wu, H. C., Sun, W. J., Su, S. F. and Chen, M. C. 2007. Three-year follow-up study of the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and quality of life among earthquake survivors in Yu-Chi, Taiwan. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 41, 1–2, 90–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
United Nations Organization 2007. Socioeconomic characteristics of the older population. World Population Ageing: 1950–2050. United Nations Organization, New York. Available online at http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/worldageing19502050 [Accessed 13 September 2009].Google Scholar
Vahdaninia, M., Goshtasebi, A., Montazeri, A. and Maftoon, F. 2005. Health related quality of life in an elderly population in Iran: a population-based study. Payesh, 4, 2, 113–20. (In Persian)Google Scholar
Wang, X., Gao, L., Zhang, H., Chengzhi, Zh., Shen, Y. and Shinfuku, N. 2000. Post-earthquake quality of life and psychological well-being: longitudinal evaluation in a rural community sample in northern China. Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 54, 4, 427–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) 1997. WHOQOL: Measuring Quality of Life. WHO, Geneva. Available online at http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/68.pdf [Accessed 13 September 2009].Google Scholar
Wu, H. C., Chou, P., Chou, F. H. C., Su, C. Y., Tsai, K. Y., Ou-Yang, W. C., Su, T. T. P., Chao, S. S., Sun, W. J. and Chen, M. C. 2006. Survey of quality of life and related risk factors for a Taiwanese village population 3 years post-earthquake. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40, 4, 335–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed