Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Trust in Chinese Government and Quality of Life (QOL) of Sichuan Earthquake Survivors: Does Trust in Government Help to Promote QOL?

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Researches on the factors on earthquake survivors’ quality of life (QOL) focused on the demographic variables or the impact of mental illness on QOL. This study intends to study the relationships between trust in government and survivors’ QOL. The data derived from a sample survey in five counties of Sichuan (Wenchuan, Qingchuan, Mianzhu, Lushan, Dujiangyan) in 2013 (N = 2000). Reliability tests are conducted for the brief version of World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and trust in government scale (TGS). Results show that the two scales have good reliability. Then we use confirmatory factor analysis to study the relationships between the items and domains of WHOQOL-BREF, as well the relationships between each domain and QOL. Finally, we employ structural equation modeling to explore the effect of ten items of TGS on the four domains of WHOQOL-BREF. Our main findings are: (1) survivors’ QOL is relatively poor. (2) Survivors do not fully trust governmental work and each level of government. Trust increases as the levels of government grow. (3) Trust in governmental work has greater effects on the QOL compared with trust in each level of the government. (4) Trust in government has more significant effect on physical health and social relationship than on the psychological health and environment. The phenomenon of “disparity of Chinese trust in government” might be attributed to the political interpretation and mechanism of institutional design. The importance of effective governmental work to enhance the QOL of survivors is emphasized.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altindag, A., & Ozen, S. (2005). One-year follow-up study of posttraumatic stress disorder among earthquake survivors in Turkey. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 46(5), 328–333. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2005.01.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ardalan, A., Mazaheri, M., Vanrooyen, M., Mowafi, H., Nedjat, S., Naieni, K. H., & Russel, M. (2011). Post-disaster quality of life among older survivors five years after the Bam earthquake: Implications for recovery policy. Ageing and Society, 31(2), 179. doi:10.1017/S0144686X10000772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F. (2001). Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 78(3), 458–467.doi:10.1093/jurban/78.3.458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blind, P. K. (2007). Building trust in government in the twenty-first century: Review of literature and emerging issues. In 7th global forum on reinventing government building trust in government. Austria: Vienna, June 2007, 26–29.

  • Ceyhan, E., & Ceyhan, A. A. (2007). Earthquake survivors’ quality of life and academic achievement six years after the earthquakes in Marmara, Turkey. Disasters, 31(4), 516–529. doi:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2007.01023.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Q., Liang, W., & Meng, Q. (2004). Structural equation modeling (SEM) in medical practice: Introduction and application. Chinese Journal of Health Statistics, 21(2), 70–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S., Meng, Q. H., & Hu, A. G. (2010). Empirical study on government emergency management capacity and its performance: Local government in Wenchuan earthquake. China Soft Science, 2, 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. H., Tan, H. K. L., Liao, L. R., Chen, H. H., Chan, C. C., Cheng, J. J. S., et al. (2007). Long-term psychological outcome of 1999 Taiwan earthquake survivors: a survey of a high-risk sample with property damage. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 48(3), 269–275. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2006.12.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. C., Yeh, T. L., Yang, Y. K., Chen, S. J., Lee, I. H., Fu, L. S., et al. (2001). Psychiatric morbidity and post-traumatic symptoms among survivors in the early stage following the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan. Psychiatry Research, 105(1), 13–22. doi:10.1016/S0165-1781(01)00334-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, F. H. C., Chou, P., Su, T. T. P., Ou-Yang, W. C., Chien, I., Lu, M. K., & Huang, M. W. (2004). 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), 358–364. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1614.2004.01364.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, T., & Lægreid, P. (2005). Trust in government: The relative importance of service satisfaction, political factors, and demography. Public Performance & Management Review, 28(4), 487–511. doi:10.1080/15309576.2005.11051848.

    Google Scholar 

  • Citrin, J. (1974). Comment: The political relevance of trust in government. The American Political Science Review, 68, 973–988. doi:10.2307/1959141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C. A., Knotts, H. G., & Brennan, K. M. (2008). The importance of trust in government for public administration: The case of zoning. Public Administration Review, 68(3), 459–468. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00882.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (2005). Moving from the quality of life concept to a theory. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49(10), 699–706. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2005.00738.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, D. R. (1994). Enhancing quality of life in the population at large. Social Indicators Research, 33, 47–88. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-0171-4_2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faden, R., & Leplège, A. (1992). Assessing quality of life: Moral implications for clinical practice. Medical Care, 30(5), MS166–MS175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, S. (1983). The measurement and meaning of trust in government. Political Methodology, 9(3), 341–354.

  • Han, Z., Hu, X., & Nigg, J. (2011). How does disaster relief works affect the trust in local government? A study of the Wenchuan earthquake. Risk, Hazards and Crisis in Public Policy, 2(4), 1–20. doi:10.2202/1944-4079.1092.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hao, Y. T., & Fang, J. Q. (2000). The introduce and usage of WHOQOL instrument in chinese. Modern Rehabilitation, 8, 001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, M. J. (1998). The political relevance of political trust. American Political Science Review, 92, 791–808. doi:10.2307/2586304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, M. J., & Globetti, S. (2002). Political trust and racial policy preferences. American Journal of Political Science, 46(2), 253–275.

  • Hommerich, C. (2012). Trust and subjective well-being after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear meltdown: Preliminary results. International Journal of Japanese Sociology, 21(1), 46–64. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6781.2012.01169.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241(4865), 540–545. doi:10.1126/science.3399889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Y., Zhou, L., & Wei, K. (2011). 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake recovery government policies and non-governmental organizations’ participation. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 21(2), 77–91. doi:10.1080/21650993.2011.9756108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jia, Z., Tian, W., He, X., Liu, W., Jin, C., & Ding, H. (2010). Mental health and quality of life survey among child survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Quality of Life Research, 19(9), 1381–1391. doi:10.1007/s11136-010-9703-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapucu, N. (2006). Public-nonprofit partnerships for collective action in dynamic contexts of emergencies. Public Administration, 84(1), 205–220. doi:10.1111/j.0033-3298.2006.00500.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karagianni, S. (2011). Longitudinal study of PTSD, depression, and quality of life among adolescents after the Parnitha earthquake. Journal of Affective Disorders, 133(3), 509–515. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.04.053.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., & Berkman, L. (2000). Social cohesion, social capital, and health. Social epidemiology, 8, 174–190.

  • Kawachi, I., Kennedy, B. P., & Glass, R. (1999). Social capital and self-rated health: A contextual analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 89(8), 1187–1193. doi:10.2105/AJPH.89.8.1187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ke, X., Liu, C., & Li, N. (2010). Social support and quality of life: A cross-sectional study on survivors eight months after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. BMC Public Health, 10(1), 573. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kılıç, C., & Ulusoy, M. (2003). Psychological effects of the November 1999 earthquake in Turkey: An epidemiological study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 108(3), 232–238. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0447.2003.00119.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S. (2007). Democratic governance, government performance, and trust in government: China and South Korea. In The public management research conference. Tucson, Arizona, October 25–27, 2007 (pp. 25–27).

  • Kim, S. (2010). Public trust in government in Japan and South Korea: Does the rise of critical citizens matter? Public Administration Review, 70(5), 801–810. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02207.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, T. J., Chang, C. M., Connor, K. M., Lee, L. C., & Davidson, J. R. (2004). Full and partial PTSD among earthquake survivors in rural Taiwan. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 38(3), 313–322. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2003.08.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, L. (2004). Political trust in rural China. Modern China, 30(2), 228–258. doi:10.1177/0097700403261824.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, X., & Chen, X. (2010). Factor analysis under the structural equation model. Science Technology and Engineering, 10(23), 5708–5727.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Sun, F., He, X., & Chan, K. S. (2011). Sense of community and depressive symptoms among older earthquake survivors following the 2008 earthquake in Chengdu China. Journal of Community Psychology, 39(7), 776–785. doi:10.1002/jcop.20469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y. (2011a). Trust in grass-root government and residents participation in urban-rural community election. Chinese Public Administration, 10, 57–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y. (2011b). Trust in neighborhood (village) government and residents’ community service willingness: a survey in several urban and rural communities in Nanjing. Journal of Nanjing Normal University (Social Science), 4, 28–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y. (2014). Correlations between health-related quality of life and interpersonal trust: Comparisons between two generations of Chinese rural-to-urban migrants. Social Indicators Research, 1–24. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0755-y.

  • Liang, Y., & Cao, R. (2014). Employment assistance policies of Chinese government play positive roles! The impact of post-earthquake employment assistance policies on the health-related quality of life of Chinese earthquake populations. Social Indicators Research. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0620-z.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y., & Lu, P. (2014). Health-related quality of life and the adaptation of residents to harsh post-earthquake conditions in China. Disaster Medicine and Public health Preparedness, 8(05), 390–396. doi:10.1017/dmp.2014.94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y., Lu, W., & Wu, W. (2014). Are social security policies for Chinese landless farmers really effective on health in the process of Chinese rapid urbanization? A study on the effect of social security policies for Chinese landless farmers on their health-related quality of life. International Journal for Equity in Health, 13, 5. doi:10.1186/1475-9276-13-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y., & Wang, X. (2013). Developing a new perspective to study the health of survivor)s of Sichuan earthquakes in China: A study on the effect of post-earthquake rescue policies on survivor s’ health-related quality of life. Health Research Policy and Systems, 11, 41. doi:10.1186/1478-4505-11-41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang Y., & Zhang S. (2014). Construction of a service mode of school social work in post-disaster areas in China: A case study on the project of disaster relief schools after the Sichuan earthquake. International Social Work, 1–18. doi:10.1177/0020872814531303.

  • Lin, M. R., Huang, W., Huang, C., Hwang, H. F., Tsai, L. W., & 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), 379–388. doi:10.1023/A:1015543113448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, W. (2013). Empirical studies of Chinese scholars on political trust: Retrospect and prospect. Comparative Politics Studies, 5(2), 87–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longstaff, P. H., & Yang, S. U. (2008). Communication management and trust: their role in building resilience to “surprises” such as natural disasters, pandemic flu, and terrorism. Ecology and Society, 13(1), 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • McHorney, C. A. (1999). Health status assessment methods for adults: Past accomplishments and future challenges 1. Annual Review of Public Health, 20(1), 309–335. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.20.1.309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. H. (1974). Political issues and trust in government: 1964–1970. American Political Science Review, 68(3), 951–972. doi:10.2307/1959140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montazeri, A., Baradaran, H., Omidvari, S., Azin, S. A., Ebadi, M., Garmaroudi, G., et al. (2005). Psychological distress among Bam earthquake survivors in Iran: A population-based study. BMC Public Health, 5(1), 4. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-5-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, K., & Picou, J. S. (2013). The impact of Hurricane Katrina on trust in government. Social Science Quarterly, 94(2), 344–361. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00932.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Önder, E., Tural, Ü., Aker, T., Kılıç, C., & Erdoğan, S. (2006). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders three years after the 1999 earthquake in Turkey: Marmara Earthquake Survey (MES). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 41(11), 868–874. doi:10.1007/s00127-006-0107-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, D. L., & Erickson, P. (1993). Assessing health-related quality of life for clinical decision-making. In Quality of life assessment: Key issues in the 1990s (pp. 11–63). Netherlands: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-2988-6_2.

  • Raphael, D., Renwick, R., Brown, I., & Rootman, I. (1996). Quality of life indicators and health: current status and emerging conceptions. Social Indicators Research, 39(1), 65–88. doi:10.1007/BF00300833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinhardt, G. Y. (2013). Disasters, media, and political. In The 2013 annual conference of the American Political Science Association. Chicago, Illinois.

  • Rockers, P. C., Kruk, M. E., & Laugesen, M. J. (2012). Perceptions of the health system and public trust in government in low-and middle-income countries: evidence from the World Health Surveys. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 37(3), 405. doi:10.1215/03616878-1573076.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rong, H. (2007). Farmers’ petition and erosion of political trust in government. Sociological Studies, 3, 39–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, R. (2000). How much does social capital add to individual health? Social Science and Medicine, 51(9), 1421–1435. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00106-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shambaugh, G. E. (2012). Specifying trust in government and its impact on support for war. In APSA 2012 annual meeting paper.

  • Shen, J., Kang, J., Shi, Y., Li, Y., Li, Y., Su, L., et al. (2012). Lessons learned from the Wenchuan ear thquake. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 5, 75–88. doi:10.1111/j.1756-5391.2012.01176.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, P. (2012). On the role of government in integrated disaster risk governance-based on practices in China. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 3(3), 139–146. doi:10.1007/s13753-012-0014-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skevington, S. M., & McCrate, F. M. (2012). Expecting a good quality of life in health: assessing people with diverse diseases and conditions using the WHOQOL-BREF. Health Expectations, 15(1), 49–62. doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2010.00650.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, B., & Guo, W. (2011). Give power back to the people: Assessment body conversion of governmental management performance under the abnormal state. Discovery, 3, 93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, N. (2010). The importance of knowledge management and trust in relation to disaster response. Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management, 6, 1–9. doi:10.5931/djim.v6i1.39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tao, C. (2009). Social workers as conflict mediator: lessons from the Wenchuan earthquake. China Journal of Social Work, 2(3), 179–187. doi:10.1080/17525090903211721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tateno, S., & Yokoyama, H. M. (2013). Public anxiety, trust, and the role of mediators in communicating risk of exposure to low dose radiation after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant explosion. Journal of Science Communication, 12, 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teets, J. C. (2009). Post-earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts: The emergence of civil society in China? The China Quarterly, 198, 330–347. doi:10.1017/S0305741009000332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The central people’s government of the People’s Republic of China 2014: The administrative plan of China. Retrieved from http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-06/15/content_18253.htm.

  • Thomas, C. W. (1998). Maintaining and restoring public trust in government agencies and their employees. Administration and Society, 30(2), 166–193. doi:10.1177/0095399798302003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tokuda, Y., Jimba, M., Yanai, H., Fujii, S., & Inoguchi, T. (2008). Interpersonal trust and quality-of-life: A cross-sectional study in Japan. PLoS ONE, 3(12), e3985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolbert, C. J., & Mossberger, K. (2006). The effects of E-government on trust and confidence in government. Public Administration Review, 66(3), 354–369. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00594.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, K. Y., Chou, P., Chou, F. H. C., Su, T. T. P., Lin, S. C., Lu, M. K., et al. (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), 90–96. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2005.10.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valenti, M., Masedu, F., Mazza, M., Tiberti, S., Giovanni, C. D., Calvarese, A., et al. (2013). A longitudinal study of quality of life of earthquake survivors in L’Aquila, Italy. BMC Public Health, 13, 1143. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-1143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Gao, L., Zhang, H., Zhao, C., Shen, Y., & 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 Neurosciences, 54(4), 427–433. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1819.2000.00732.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, W., Shi, Z., Shen, J., Li, M., & Xin, Y. (2009). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among adult survivors three months after the Sichuan earthquake in China. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22(5), 444–450. doi:10.1002/jts.20439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, J. D., & Fu, K. W. (2012). Who do you trust? Comparing people-centered communications in disaster situations in the United States and China. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 14(2), 126–142. doi:10.1080/13876988.2012.664688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, H. C., Chou, P., Chou, F. H. C., Su, C. Y., Tsai, K. Y., Ou-Yang, W. C., et al. (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), 355–361. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01802.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiong, M. (2010). Review on political trust study. Journal of Public Administration, 9(6), 605–609 (in Chinese).

  • Xu, P., Lu, X., Zuo, K., & Zhang, H. (2014). Post-Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction and development in China. In N. Kapucu & K. T. Liou (Eds.), Disaster and development, environmental hazards, Switzerland (pp. 427–445). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamamura, E. (2010). Effects of interactions among social capital, income and learning from experiences of natural disasters: A case study from Japan. Regional Studies, 44(8), 1019–1032. doi:10.1080/00343400903365144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yehuda, R. (2002). Post-traumatic stress disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 346(2), 108–114. doi:10.1056/NEJMra012941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Z., Shi, Z., Wang, L., & Liu, M. (2011a). One year later: Mental health problems among survivors in hard-hit areas of the Wenchuan earthquake. Public Health, 125(5), 293–300. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2010.12.008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q., & Wang, E. (2010). Local political trust: The antecedents and effects on earthquake victims’ choice for allocation of resources. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 38(7), 929–939. doi:10.2224/sbp.2010.38.7.929.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Wang, P., & He, H. (2011b). Assessment on the quality of life among survivors living in temporary settlements two years after the “5.12” earthquake. Journal of Hygiene Research, 40(6), 744–747.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Y. D., Deng, D. S., & Li, R. J. (2010). Social capital in the Wenchuan earthquake-affected area. China Soft Science, 8, 11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, C., Wu, Z., & Xu, J. (2013). The association between post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and the quality of life among Wenchuan earthquake survivors: The role of social support as a moderator. Quality of Life Research, 22, 733–743. doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0197-4.

Download references

Acknowledgments

This paper is supported by the Major Program of the National Social Science Fund (14ZDA061) and the General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (71473117 and 71173099).

Conflict of interest

The author declares that she has no competing interests.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work and Social Policy, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Liang

Authors
  1. Ying Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ying Liang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liang, Y. Trust in Chinese Government and Quality of Life (QOL) of Sichuan Earthquake Survivors: Does Trust in Government Help to Promote QOL?. Soc Indic Res 127, 541–564 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0967-9

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0967-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation