A Case Study, May 2016: A Snapshot of Psychosocial Issues in Camp Living - A Sri Lankan Landslide in the Kegalle District

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the aspects of being made homeless or internally displaced person (IDP) and how the team attempted to assess this. The team of 10 psychological researchers and statisticians spent a day at five camps in four locations within Kegalle, Sri Lanka. The languages within the team are Tamil, English, and Sinhalese. The aim to find out if depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms are evident within child, adolescents, and adults categories, 3 months after the landslide triggered by the Storm Roanu, May 2016. The participants volunteered to be interviewed using self-report measures. The psychological researchers did have undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology. While the project lead had clinical experience, the researchers did not and so this was their first field trip. The research was granted ethical clearance by the ethics board at the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), Colombo. Unfortunately, due to low numbers, a significance is problematic and so this paper addresses the experience and lessons learned by implication for professional growth and future research with IDP. However, the impact on men’s health becomes clear as the team discovers the psychosocial aspects of being homeless. Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the aspects of being made homeless or internally displaced person (IDP) and how the team attempted to assess this. Design/methodology/approach – The team of 10 psychosocial researchers headed up by Matt BroadwayHorner, Consultant Nurse in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, spent a day at five camps in four locations within Kegalle, Sri Lanka. The languages within the team are Tamil, English, and Sinhalese. The aim was to find out if depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms are evident within child, adolescent, and adult categories, 3 months after the landslide triggered by the Storm Roanu, May 2016. The participants volunteered to be interviewed using self-report measures. The research was granted ethical clearance by the ethics board at CIRP, Colombo. Findings – unfortunately, due to low numbers, a significance is problematic for child and adolescents. The significance is seen in the adult population and so this paper addresses the experience and lessons learned by implication for professional growth and future research with IDP. However, the impact on men’s health becomes clear as the team discovers the psychosocial aspects of being homeless. Research limitations/implications – due to the unpredictability of IDP, the numbers were less than what was predicted by the Red Cross and UNICEF. Furthermore, we were not allowed a second visit and so could not compare and contrast data. Originality/value – much is written on IDP, but this is the first paper on this specific landslide and so adds to the knowledge base.