Post-disaster Interventions Research Articles

The role of the play therapist in supporting children and families following a natural disaster: A scoping review.

The predicted rise in weather-related disasters indicates that many Australian children and their families will be affected by these events in the future. Play therapy, an emerging profession in Australia, may provide valuable support to children exposed to these events. A scoping review was designed to map the existing literature and the role of the play therapist in supporting children (aged 3-12 years) and families following natural disasters, and to formulate a model to guide play therapists in the future. A systematic search of the literature was performed and a total of 25 articles were identified as relevant to the role of the play therapist in response to natural disasters. Play therapists must be mindful of the different phases of natural disaster response and how their role may vary across these phases. In the early stages post-disaster, a play therapist may be involved in psychoeducation, facilitating therapeutic play and community involvement. More formal clinical play therapy interventions that focus on the individual child or family are better suited to the latter stages of disaster response. There is a need for further research into the impact of natural disasters on children and families and interventions that aid mental health and well-being, especially for children who may be more vulnerable and potentially overlooked in the wake of such disasters. Further research is also needed into the effectiveness of play therapy as a post-disaster intervention for children.

Peran Pendampingan Pastoral dalam Pemulihan Trauma Keluarga Korban Longsor di Palangka dengan Pendekatan Spiritual-Psikologis

This study aims to explore the role of pastoral care in the recovery of trauma experienced by landslide victim families in Palangka. Pastoral care, which combines spiritual and psychological approaches, is expected to provide holistic support to victim families in their recovery process. This study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach to analyze the experiences and perceptions of victim families and the pastoral caretakers involved. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation. The results of the study indicate that pastoral care plays an important role in providing emotional and spiritual support, strengthening mental resilience, and helping victim families cope with loss and trauma. The spiritual-psychological approach applied by pastoral caretakers helps rebuild hope, reduce stress, and accelerate the healing process. This study highlights the importance of integrating spiritual and psychological support in post-disaster interventions to improve the mental and emotional well-being of victims.

Long term impact of Wenchuan earthquake on population mental and behavioral disorders in heavily-stricken areas: An ecological study based on big data

BackgroundThis study aimed to explore and evaluate the development trends and differential changes in the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders among the earthquake survivors in exposure groups (highly hard-hit areas) and control groups (general disaster areas) from 2015 to 2019, as well as to investigate the potential influencing factors. MethodsData was obtained from the Sichuan Health Information System and the Sichuan Health Yearbook, the prevalence of the exposure group and the control group were calculated, the difference between the two groups was evaluated using the prevalence rate ratio, and a fixed effect model was developed to investigate the potential influencing factors of the prevalence. ResultsThe prevalence by gender and age in the exposure group was always greater than those in the control group (RR>1), although the disparity between the two proceeded to diminish with time. The urbanization rate (β = 0.0448, P < 0.05) and disaster area levels (β = 0.0104, P < 0.05) were risk factors for the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders. LimitationsThe study only collected data at the group level following the Wenchuan earthquake. Consequently, the findings are only applicable at the group level. Furthermore, diagnostic criteria for various types of mental and behavioral disorders diseases were not provided. ConclusionsThe earthquake has a significant long-term impact on mental health. It is necessary to continuously monitor the mental health of Wenchuan earthquake survivors and take appropriate post-disaster intervention measures.

The Effect of Forced Migration on Mental Health in Elderly Individuals: A Struggle in the Shadow of Disasters

Natural disasters are social crises that affect people together with their environment, which are unpredictable where and when they will occur worldwide. Natural disasters are a process that deeply affects people's lives, often necessitating relocation. Natural disasters affecting individuals from all age groups significantly affect elderly individuals, who are a vulnerable and fragile group due to physical limitations, chronic diseases and other age-related factors. Uncertainty and anxiety together with difficult experiences and change of location after the disaster is a traumatic process that especially affects elderly individuals. The fact that elderly individuals constitute the majority of the increasing population on a global scale and the increasing number of natural disasters today makes it a priority to address the mental health of elderly individuals and to carry out more studies on survival strategies. From this point of view, this review study aims to provide strategies for the protection, development and rehabilitation of the mental health of elderly individuals by focusing on the mental health problems and coping methods of elderly individuals who try to establish a new life by having to relocate due to natural disasters and natural disasters. Pre-disaster preparation and post-disaster intervention programs should be prepared specifically for elderly individuals and should be structured taking into account cultural/geographical differences.

Post-earthquake building damage assessment: A multi-period inspection routing approach for Gaussian process regression

In the wake of seismic events, prompt and accurate building damage assessment is crucial to inform post-disaster interventions and recovery efforts. This paper advances a novel multi-period planning strategy for post-earthquake building inspections, conceptualizing the task as a multi-period orienteering problem (MPOP). In this framework, each building selected for inspection hosts a specific reward indicating its informative value for damage assessment. The objective is to design inspection routes that maximize damage information acquisition while adhering to time constraints. After data collection, we utilize a Gaussian process regression (GPR) model to estimate the damage in uninspected buildings. To validate our approach, we conduct an earthquake simulation with realistic building information from San Francisco. The experimental outcomes reveal that our multi-period damage assessment framework maintains robust performance across diverse scenarios and consistently surpasses conventional period-by-period inspection strategies, yielding enhanced damage information acquisition and greater precision in damage estimation. This outcome underscores the effectiveness of our proposed method in strengthening post-earthquake damage assessment and improving recovery planning.

Social comparison, resilience, life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety among earthquake survivors in Turkey

The aftermath of seismic disasters presents a multifaceted challenge for survivors, impacting various aspects of their well-being and mental health. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of resilience in the relationships between social comparison, life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety. The study included 388 participants (age range: 18–69 years; mean age = 34.50 ± 13.18) who were residing in the most earthquake-stricken regions of Turkey and completed the self-reported measures of social comparison, resilience, life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety using a paper-and-pencil format. The results showed that social comparison significantly predicted resilience, satisfaction with life, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Resilience significantly predicted life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety. More importantly, resilience partially mediated the associations between social comparison and life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety. These findings suggest the importance of interventions that contribute to resilience in earthquake survivors. Post-disaster interventions should focus on strategies to diminish the influence of social comparison on mental health and well-being by cultivating the capacity to bounce back from adversity and cope effectively with challenges.

Construcții provizorii pentru facilități militare – soluții pentru creșterea adaptabilității și eficienței –

Temporary constructions involve structures that can be quickly assembled or disassembled and easily modified. Since the adaptability they offer is essential in the conduct of military actions, in the development of permanent infrastructure and last but not least in post-disaster interventions, they play a significant role in the defence infrastructure framework. Real estate investments of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) must comply with both national legislative frameworks and departmental regulations. Temporary facilities are no exception. By analysing the regulations applicable for their implementation, the article briefly presents the typologies of temporary constructions defined by military regulations, the stages of technical documentation development and the conditions for authorising execution works, as well as some considerations on the opportunity to create a regulation dedicated to temporary military constructions.

Temporary Buildings for Military Facilities – Solutions for Increasing Adaptability and Efficiency –

Temporary constructions involve structures that can be quickly assembled or disassembled and easily modified. Since the adaptability they offer is essential in the conduct of military actions, in the development of permanent infrastructure and last but not least in post-disaster interventions, they play a significant role in the defence infrastructure framework. Real estate investments of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) must comply with both national legislative frameworks and departmental regulations. Temporary facilities are no exception. By analysing the regulations applicable for their implementation, the article briefly presents the typologies of temporary constructions defined by military regulations, the stages of technical documentation development and the conditions for authorising execution works, as well as some considerations on the opportunity to create a regulation dedicated to temporary military constructions.

Behavioral activation is associated with post-disaster mental health: Secondary longitudinal analysis from a population-based study.

Interventions in post-disaster environments may be accelerated by identifying protective behavioral factors adding incremental value to models of psychopathology using longitudinal methods. One protective behavior applicable to post-disaster contexts is behavioral activation (BA). BA is defined here as a behavioral pattern involving presence of valued activity engagement. While relevant post-disaster, the incremental value of BA behaviors in predicting longitudinal post-disaster outcomes is not well understood. We hypothesized that higher baseline engagement in behaviors consistent with a BA framework would predict decreased posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) symptom severity, depression symptom severity, and sleep disturbance approximately 3, 6, and 12 months after hurricane survivors completed baseline measures. The current study is a secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial of a disaster mental health digital intervention. Participants completed surveys at baseline and approximately 3, 6, and 12 months post-enrollment. Correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were calculated following data screening to predict PTSD symptom severity, depression symptom severity, and sleep disturbances. Controlling for alcohol use, prior trauma, displacement, and intervention condition, higher baseline BA consistently predicted less PTSD symptom severity, depression symptom severity, and sleep disturbances. Results suggest that post-disaster interventions should consider addressing BA. The study provides evidence that BA is potentially an important protective factor longitudinally predicting sleep disturbances and psychopathology after natural disasters.

Asymmetrical power relationships in disaster reduction remain the key barrier to sustainable recovery: Neoliberalism and Nepal's post‐earthquake recovery experiences

AbstractMaking reference to recent scholarly discussions on neoliberalism and disaster recovery, in this paper I discuss how the implemented neoliberal doctrines of governance have reinforced the existing asymmetrical power relationships between the state, international agencies and citizens. This process constitutes a major barrier to achieving sustainable recovery after the 2015 Nepal earthquake. In particular, three issues, namely the risk of disempowering local communities' capacity, lack of commitment to long‐term recovery, and commodification of the recovery process, have resulted that the recovery policy basically favours the interests of international donors, and NGOs, not those of local communities. To achieve sustainable recovery, post disaster interventions must be socially inclusive. Local affected communities should be meaningfully engaged, and that social learning and sustainability transformation should be enabled as these are key processes at the core of community resilience and of any community resilience‐building strategy.

Training for Disaster Response Youth Cadres About Post Earthquake Injury Using Student Centered Learning (Scl) Approach

Efforts to deal with crises due to disasters or so-called disaster management are a series of activities that began before the occurrence of outbreaks and disasters which were carried out through prevention, mitigation (mitigating/mitigating the impact) and preparedness in dealing with outbreaks and disasters. In general, disaster management is aimed at preventing and limiting the number of victims, so there must be early intervention efforts made by people exposed to training so that the severity of the disaster does not occur. due to the earthquake at SMA Negeri 8 Mataram with a student centered learning (SCL) approach. This study uses a quasi-experimental design with one pre and post test design. A total of 40 Disaster Response Cadre (KATANA) cadres were given disaster response cadre training and disaster preparedness was measured before and after the training. Data analysis used paired t test. The results show that there is an effect of post-disaster intervention disaster response training on disaster preparedness with a p-value of 0.000 &lt;0.05. Conclusion, the results of this study are expected to be a program innovation for youth cadres to improve disaster preparedness.

Contextualizing Household Adaptation to Flooding in Urbanized Floodplain Areas: Pre-disaster Adaptation, Coping Capacity and Post-Disaster Intervention

As physical flood vulnerability continues to increase in urbanized floodplain areas; understanding and improving household adaptation is an important step towards disaster risk reduction. The study provides an assessment of household adaptation using the resilience model to identify pre-disaster preparedness, household coping capacity, and intervention received during and in post-severe flooding scenarios within communities located in the urbanized floodplain areas of Kosofe. Lagos, Nigeria. Kosofe is the most vulnerable residential area out of the 20 local government areas in Africa’s most populated city, based on flood vulnerability map of the entire city. The study is based on a positivists’ philosophical paradigm, using the deductive approach to gain understanding of resilience model and then tested through a cross-sectional survey involving 324 household heads/representatives in the study area, to contextualize the model in terms of its application in assessing household adaptation. Findings indicate that there is little practice of flood preparedness measures despite high levels of flood risk awareness learnt from previous flood experiences within the area. Similarly, households within the study area rarely use building-based adaptation strategies in coping during severe flooding. Also, government support are very minimal as the most common interventions received by household during and after severe flooding are prayers, savings/thrift contribution, and support from friends and families. The implication of this finding is that by encouraging investments in pre-disaster preparations, deploying adaptive building-based flood disaster risk reduction strategies in new and existing houses, and improving government involvement and support in marginalized urbanized floodplain areas; vulnerable households are better positioned to deal with, cope with and recover from future flood risks.

Wellness Warriors: a qualitative exploration of healthcare staff learning to support their colleagues in the aftermath of the Australian bushfires

ABSTRACT Purpose Healthcare staff are on the frontline during disasters despite any personal adversity and vicarious trauma they may be experiencing. Wellness Warrior training is a post-disaster intervention developed in response to the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires to support staff in a rural hospital located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Method This study explored the experiences and perspectives of 18 healthcare staff who were trained to provide emotional and peer support to their colleagues in the aftermath of a crisis. All the Wellness Warriors participated in semi-structured interviews between March and April 2020. Data were analysed using the reflexive thematic approach. Results Healthcare staff reported developing interpersonal skills around deep listening and connecting with others which allowed for hearing the core of their colleagues’ concerns. The training also helped staff to feel differently about work and restored their faith in healthcare leadership. Conclusion Wellness Warrior training provided staff with knowledge and skills to support their colleagues in the aftermath of a natural disaster and later during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, these findings suggest that peer support programs such as Wellness Warriors could be one way healthcare organisations can attempt to alleviate the psychological impact of natural disasters.

How Maternal Trauma Exposure Contributed to Children’s Depressive Symptoms following the Wenchuan Earthquake: A Multiple Mediation Model Study

Although well-established literature has indicated the burden of mental health among victims after the Wenchuan earthquake, no research has focused on the mental health of mothers and their children who experienced the earthquake and were pregnant during or shortly after it. This study investigates the relationship between maternal trauma exposure (TE) and children's depressive symptoms after the Wenchuan earthquake and explores the risk and protective factors underlying this relationship. A sample of 547 mother-child dyads, in which the mother experienced the Wenchuan earthquake, was used to assess maternal depressive symptoms, maternal TE, children's depressive symptoms, children's perceived impact of the earthquake and maternal posttraumatic growth (PTG). The results showed that maternal TE had two significant one-step indirect associations with children's depressive symptoms (through children's perceived impact of the earthquake and maternal PTG) and one two-step indirect association with children's depressive symptoms (through maternal depressive symptoms via children's perceived impact of the earthquake). The results indicated that maternal depressive symptoms, children's perceived impact of the earthquake and maternal PTG mediated the association between maternal TE and children's depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of mothers in supporting the mental health of these children. Maternal depressive symptoms and PTG, two posttraumatic outcomes, played positive and negative roles in the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Thus, post-disaster interventions should reduce the maternal transmission of trauma-related information and improve maternal PTG to support children's mental health.

Management of pediatric dialysis and kidney transplant patients after natural or man-made disasters.

Pediatric patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) are among the most vulnerable during large-scale disasters, either natural or man-made. Hemodialysis (HD) treatments may be impossible because of structural damage and/or shortage of medical supplies, clean water, electricity, and healthcare professionals. Lack of peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions and increased risk of infectious/non-infectious complications may make PD therapy challenging. Non-availability of immunosuppressants and increased risk of infections may result in graft loss and deaths of kidney transplant recipients. Measures to mitigate these risks must be considered before, during, and after the disaster including training of staff and patients/caregivers to cope with medical and logistic problems. Soon after a disaster, if the possibility of performing HD or PD is uncertain, patients should be directed to other centers, or the duration and/or number of HD sessions or the PD prescription adapted. In kidney transplant recipients, switching among immunosuppressants should be considered in case of non-availability of the medications. Post-disaster interventions target treating neglected physical and mental problems and also improving social challenges. All problems experienced by pediatric KRT patients living in the affected area are applicable to displaced patients who may also face extra risks during their travel and also at their destination. The need for additional local, national, and international help and support of non-governmental organizations must be anticipated and sought in a timely manner.

Breastfeeding, Community Vulnerability, Resilience, and Disasters: A Snapshot of the United States Gulf Coast.

Climate change-induced disasters are increasing in intensity and frequency in the United States. Infant feeding in the aftermath of an extreme event is particularly challenging, especially given large variations in community vulnerability and resilience. The aim of this study was to identify the physical, social, and spatial vulnerabilities of communities along the Gulf Coast and highlight locations where high (or low) breastfeeding initiation rates have the potential to offset (or exacerbate) infant feeding challenges in the wake of a disaster. We structured this study as a retrospective, spatial data analysis of breastfeeding initiation, the risk for extreme events, social vulnerability, and community resilience to uncover locations that may need post-disaster intervention. The results suggested that significant gaps in the geographic distribution of community risk, vulnerability, resilience, and breastfeeding initiation existed. While many metropolitan areas benefitted from high breastfeeding initiation rates, they were also the most “at risk” for disasters. Conversely, many rural communities faced less risk for extreme events but exhibited more social vulnerability and less resilience should a disaster strike. Prioritizing emergency response resources to support infant feeding after a disaster is critically important, but urban and rural communities have divergent profiles that will require variable strategies to ensure recovery. Our results highlight this variability and provide prescriptive guidance regarding where to potentially allocate emergency resources.

Exploring the buffering role of social capital in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms among Iranian earthquake survivors.

Social capital, or the resources that an individual can draw on through his or her social networks and the value ascribed to these resources by the individual, has been hypothesized to be an important factor in the development of mental health problems following a natural disaster. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted in this area. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential buffering effect of the 2 types of social capital-bonding and bridging social capital-on the association between severity of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a large sample of earthquake survivors in Iran. Participants were 600 adults who survived the Azarbaijan earthquake in Iran. Participants were selected using a multistage sampling method. PTSD symptoms were reported in 37% of the participants, 95% CI [34%, 41%]. Consistent with prior research, significant differences were found between areas that were highly affected and areas that were less affected by the disaster. Although both bonding and bridging social capitals were negatively related to PTSD symptoms, this buffering effect against PTSD symptoms was about 2 times as large for bridging capital than for bonding social capital. While bridging and bonding social capital are both significant protective factors for mental health outcomes following natural disasters, bridging social capital may be more important. Future directions for this area of research are discussed, as are policy implications for disaster preparedness and postdisaster interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Social work, neoliberalism, and post-disaster intervention: The 1985, 2010, and 2015 Chilean earthquakes

The article analyzes the contexts and specificities of post-disaster social work intervention based on the testimonies of social workers who participated in the recovery and normalization processes after the earthquakes of 1985, 2010, and 2015 in Chile. The neoliberal context has influence in the social intervention. As neoliberalism deepens, there is more technology and better access to material resources, but at the same time, professional autonomy and community knowledge decrease. Research suggests there is a need for further critical discussion about how social work has been colonized by neoliberalism, even in seemingly neutral issues such as post-disaster intervention.

Predicting Resilience of Interdependent Urban Infrastructure Systems

Climate change is increasing the frequency and the intensity of weather events, leading to large-scale disruptions to critical infrastructure systems. The high level of interdependence among these systems further aggravates the extent of disruptions. To mitigate these impacts, models and methods are needed to support rapid decision-making for optimal resource allocation in the aftermath of a disruption and to substantiate investment decisions for the structural reconfiguration of these systems. In this paper, we leverage infrastructure simulation models and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to develop resilience prediction models. First, we employ an interdependent infrastructure simulation model to generate infrastructure disruption and recovery scenarios and compute the resilience value for each scenario. The infrastructure-, disruption-, and recovery-related attributes are recorded for each scenario and ML algorithms are employed on the synthetic dataset to develop accurate resilience prediction models. The results of the prediction models are analyzed and possible design strategies suggested based on the resilience enhancement attributes. The proposed methodology can support infrastructure agencies in the resource-allocation process for pre- and post-disaster interventions.

Harnessing the power of sport for disaster recovery

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the discourse on sport for development from the psychosocial lens by examining the case of the 3R sport-based intervention for the Filipino survivors of super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Using the five essential principles of effective psychosocial interventions to frame the design, pilot implementation, and preliminary assessment of 3R, it presents a theory-informed post-disaster sport initiative. It also demonstrates how the principles of safety, calmness, connectedness, efficacy, and hope are operationalised in the context of sport outcomes. Fifty-two PE teachers and 39 students, all survivors of Haiyan, participated in the study. Results provided empirical support to the interrelated components of psychosocial care and illustrated how sport interventions could facilitate disaster recovery through the innovative, holistic, inclusive, and culturally nuanced application of effective psychosocial mechanisms. Ultimately, this case study confirms that post-disaster sport interventions are not merely about sport but more about the tangential and vital social processes that occur through the channel of sport.