Effects of psychological symptoms on life adjustment among survivors of humidifier disinfectants

• Authors: Min Joo Lee , Soeun Hong , Yubin Jung , Hun-Ju Lee , Sang Min Lee

Abstracts

EN

Objectives The humidifier disinfectant catastrophe in South Korea was a social disaster caused by toxic chemical substances. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between psychological symptoms and adaptive life functioning in survivors of humidifier disinfectants. This study examined the differential effects of psychological symptoms on life adjustment between survivors of humidifier disinfectant and the general population. Material and Methods A total of 452 individuals (228 general and 224 survivor groups) participated in this research. This study utilized the Adult Self-Report, one of the most widely used comprehensive mental health scales for measuring both psychological symptoms (e.g., anxiety/depression) and life adjustment functioning (e.g., interpersonal relationship). For the data analysis, multi-group structural equation modeling analysis was conducted using AMOS 21.0 program. Results The results of this study indicated that attention problems out of 8 psychological symptoms was the only significant factor related to life adjustment in both general and survivor groups. In addition, there was a significant 2-way interaction effect of group status and somatic complaints on life adjustment. Conclusions When the somatic complaint symptom was higher, participants in the survivor group were less likely to adjust in life than the general group. Taken together, the somatic complaints of the survivors more strongly influence the life adjustment than the general population. Finally, the authors discuss practical implications for survivors of humidifier disinfectants for designing suitable intervention strategies.

Keywords

EN

survivors; psychological symptoms; adaptive life functioning; humidifier disinfectant; social disaster; somatic complaints

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 596-605

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Min Joo Lee

• Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (Department of Education)

author

Soeun Hong

• Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (Department of Education)

author

Yubin Jung

• Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (Department of Education)

author

Hun-Ju Lee

• Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea (University-Industry Foundation)

author

Sang Min Lee

• Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (Department of Education)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02000

Biblioteka Nauki

21375377