A Study on the Development of Interdepartmental Guideline for Effective Disaster Psychological Support

Abstract

The Central Disaster Psychology Support Group(CDPSG) was launched to provide psychological support(PS) in the case of disasters. Without a systematic psychological response protocol or a clearly stipulated division of responsibilities among related agencies, the existing system added confusion to the delivery of PS. The CDPSG was aimed at building a professional and systematic support system that allows inter-ministerial cooperation, with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the center. In this study, a disaster PS system was proposed. Based on the process of psychological change of disaster victims, the proposed system is divided into five phases: on the day of the disaster, within 3 days, within 5 days, within 60 days, and the end phase. Prevention phase, preceding the occurrence of disasters, and continued support phase, following the end phase, were also proposed. Cases of forest fires and infectious diseases were cited as examples. Finally, disaster PS work was classified into (1) cooperative coordination, (2) public relations, (3) counseling, and (4) treatment, and a system of cooperation among ministries was proposed. Further research should focus on laying the legal grounds for such inter-ministerial cooperation, and capture first-hand experience of disasters, as well as the voices of personnel working at the site of disasters.