Disasters often have long-lasting effects on the mental health of people affected by them. This study aimed to examine the trajectories and predictors of mental health in people affected by disasters according to their income level.

This study used data from the “Long-Term Survey on the Change of Life of Disaster Victim” conducted by the National Disaster Management Research Institute. Latent growth curve modeling and multigroup analysis were employed on 699 participants.

Individuals in the low-income class had a higher post-traumatic stress (PTS) intercept than those in the middle-high-income class. The PTS intercept was increased by unmet health care needs and financial hardship caused by disasters and was decreased by health care support. Social support, which was low in the low-income class, did not affect their PTS level; however, it lowered the PTS intercept in the middle-high-income class.

These results suggest that it is important to address the mental health of disaster survivors by providing sufficient disaster relief services and compensation to ensure that disasters do not further exacerbate social inequalities. It is also crucial to provide emotional, informational, and material support using local community resources for those who have less or no access to in-person social networks.