Abstract
We investigated the trust in institutions, social values and personal attitudes of individuals in a part of Greece, after a wildfire disaster. The design of the study was a cross sectional, case-control study. Data collected were trust in institutions, social and personal attitudes, type and number of losses. The results show that victims and controls have low trust in all the institutions and share similar social and personal attitudes. Controlling for other variables, victims of the wildfires were less likely to appreciate stable social rules, to value the dialogue, autonomy, mutual support, modesty, wealth, equality, compliance with law, devotion, public recognition, safety and less likely to trust the government but more likely to trust church. This study suggests that victims of the wildfires in Greece did not appreciate important social values which bring a society together, they have a low trust in institutions, and they have a weak social cohesion which perhaps pre-existed the disaster; just the disaster has made all of them worse.
Highlights
Disaster involves physical and psychological destruction and social destruction
It has been recognized that mental health outcomes are dependent on the individual traumatic experiences and the losses, and from the destruction of the social context which happens after a disaster (Kawachi & Subramanian, 2006; Galea, Tracy, Norris, & Coffey, 2008)
The initial sample consisted of 800 participants: 409 cases and 391 controls
Summary
Disaster involves physical and psychological destruction and social destruction. At the onset of a natural disaster social theories have emphasized that the disaster can potential bring people together to respond to common threat (Turner, 1978). After a disaster the loss of important support is inevitable and social and community resources are weakening exactly the time when victims need them (Kaniasty & Norris, 1993). The consequences are changes in the social system which is the most common characteristic after a disaster. It has been recognized that mental health outcomes are dependent on the individual traumatic experiences and the losses, and from the destruction of the social context which happens after a disaster (Kawachi & Subramanian, 2006; Galea, Tracy, Norris, & Coffey, 2008)
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