Psychological Effects Of Disaster Research Articles

Interventions to improve the psychological well-being of healthcare workers in disasters, pandemics, and mass casualty events.

This information paper will describe the current research and recommendations for improving healthcare worker's (HCW) mental health. Individual and organizational goals will be outlined with items broken up into the time frames of predisaster, during a disaster, and post-disaster. A team of subject matter experts reviewed the current literature utilizing a search of PubMed, Google Scholar, relevant article reference lists, and subject matter interviews. Thirty-six distinct recommendations were identified and distributed into the time frames of predisaster, during a disaster, and post-disaster. Twenty-one of these are pertaining to organizational goals and factors. Fifteen recommendations are identified for individual HCWs. Additional institutional and government policies supporting the protection of HCW's mental health are required to reduce the stigma and fear, preventing frontline workers from seeking help with the psychological effects of disasters, mass casualty incidents, and pandemics. Further research dealing with ways to ameliorate the negative effects of the stress related to the duties and responsibilities of HCWs, which are exacerbated by disasters, is needed.

Psychological effects of the 2017 California wildfires on children and youth with disabilities

The psychological effects of disasters on children with disabilities are understudied, despite evidence towards increased risk for complications after other types of trauma exposure. This study investigated the experience of children and youth with disabilities exposed to the 2017 Northern California wildfires, with a particular focus on psychological reactions. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of 14 children and youth with disabilities one year post-disaster. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Parents described the wildfires as traumatic events for both themselves and their children. Children and youth exhibited stress, grief, and other emotional and behavioral reactions during evacuation, in the immediate aftermath, and one year post-disaster. Navigating disability-related needs, such as accessible housing, contributed to parent stress post-disaster. School and community-based mental health efforts are described, along with a call for increased attention to disaster-related reactions in children with developmental disabilities. Suggestions for improving preparedness and response efforts that better support children with disabilities and their families post-disaster are given.

Lawrence A.PalinkasGlobal Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health: The Next Wave of MigrationSpringer International Publishing, 2020. 234 p. €94.63

The markers of climate change are both the gradual rise in ambient temperatures and sea levels and the greater frequency and magnitude of the extreme events (droughts, fires, hurricanes, floods) accompanying those rises. Any of these conditions may induce or compel the people affected to move. The moves may be more or less voluntary, in-country or international, and temporary or permanent. The movers are all, in Lawrence Palinkas's expansive category, environmental migrants—“climigrants” in the unappealing neologism he uses throughout this book. Although often termed environmental refugees, unless they are also fleeing political violence or persecution none can claim refugee status under the 1951 convention. The roughness of the conceptualization is suggested by the range of guesses of the potential numbers of persons displaced cited in the book: 20 million to 200 million by 2050 according to Norman Myers, an early writer on the issue; 500–600 million “at risk of displacement” according to the Environmental Justice Foundation; perhaps 2 billion by the end of the century reported in an extravagant scenario of sea-level rise. More concrete figures come from actual events, as in the series of brief case studies the author assembles. Three are weather-related—Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, and the wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018—where displacement numbers are known even if there is not an assured connection to climate change. Prospective enforced retreat in the face of coastal erosion along the US Atlantic seaboard may seem a similarly clear-cut situation, as is the eventual resettlement from low-lying Pacific island states. On the perennial poster case of Bangladesh, beset by ever-greater floods and storm surges, Palinkas is cautious: climate change “may be viewed as a factor that contributes to existing patterns of migration” but “it is not the primary driver.” His caution does not extend to a chapter titled “Fleeing the drought: the great migration to Europe.” The migration referred to here is from the Middle East and Africa. Climate change is supposedly implicated in the Syrian civil war and in the conflict between sub-Saharan herders and grazers, in turn fueling the migrant stream to Europe. It is acknowledged that the great majority of those originally displaced—typically nine out of ten—remain in the same or a neighboring country. Their designation as environmental migrants seems arguable: at least proximately, they had likely fled not drought but barrel bombs or the depredations of Boko Haram and Tuareg jihadists. The relative few who then choose the hazardous path to Europe certainly include some with strong asylum claims but for the most part seem almost the embodiment of economic migrants, many of whom have staked large financial bets on the services of people smugglers. The study is well-sourced in a large secondary literature. It is light on demography (population growth—adding one or two billion over this century—is barely mentioned as a force compounding environmental problems). On the other hand, it gives a fair amount of attention to the damaging effects of dislocation on migrants themselves. Palinkas is a professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California and expert on the psychological effects of disasters. On policy and practice, the book mostly avoids the geopolitical realism that might point to still more stringent migrant vetting and hardened state borders, in favor of “efforts to enforce existing mechanisms such as the Sendai or Cancun frameworks or the Nansen Initiative” to assist all environmental migrants, whatever the reason for displacement. It supports “strategies for preventing, managing, and mitigating climate-related population displacement and its effects through the development and maintenance of partnerships involving academics, policy makers, service providers, communities, and climigrants themselves.”

Resilience of Nurses in the Face of Disaster.

On April 27, 2011, the state of Alabama encountered a horrific day of tornados that left a trail of damage throughout the state. The city of Tuscaloosa was devastated by an EF-4 that resulted in many victims and casualties. Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa had a massive inflow of victims with both mild and major injuries. When disasters such as this occur, nurses must respond with efficiency and effectiveness to help as many victims as possible. However, little is known about the psychological effects of disasters on nurses and how these impact nurses both personally and professionally. Because resilience can directly impact how a nurse responds to a situation, this article aimed to examine the resilience levels of nurses working during the disaster. This study was part of a larger study examining the needs of nurses both before and after disasters. Ten nurses were interviewed and completed a 10-item survey on resilience, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The full range of scores on this scale is from 0 to 40, with higher scores reflecting greater resilience. In this survey of 10 nurses, the scores ranged from 33 to 40, with a mean score of 36.7. The nurses who were interviewed and completed the survey possessed a high level of resilience. More research should be done on the causes of increased resilience in nurses after disasters.

Disaster training for nurses: a moral and humanitarian imperative

I am sure you do not need reminding of the large-scale disasters that have plagued our planet in recent years. Global warming has played a large part in this with historic temperature variations occurring in many parts of the world, like recent snow on the pyramids of Giza, and increases in adverse weather events, such as heavy rains, floods, and typhoons. For example, the huge Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the Philippines on 8 November 2013, eventually continuing its destructive path into Vietnam. Typhoons seem to be growing in intensity in the Asia-Pacific region, and often hit areas where people are poor and local infrastructure is limited. This typhoon was the deadliest on record to affect the Philippines. As I write this editorial, bodies are still being found, and health systems are struggling to cope with the health needs of the population, especially as immediate international relief efforts wind down. Of course there are many other types of disasters and nurses like all other health professionals need to be better equipped to deal with their aftermath. While it is not in our power to stop such terrible events in the natural world, it is in our power to be better prepared to help communities deal with losses and ongoing effects. We also can be better prepared to help ourselves, for nurses are victims of disaster, too. Although the awareness of nurses regarding disaster preparation has grown around the world over the last decade, most nurses are not yet prepared, educationally or psychologically, to respond to disasters, despite scientists warning us that such disasters will continue with possibly greater catastrophic events in the 21st century. Little is known about the numbers of nurses who were gravely affected by the typhoon, and needing direct assistance (Philippine Nurses Association 2013). This was truly a catastrophic event and while our hearts might go out to our colleagues in the Philippines and Vietnam, such sentiments are not enough. We must help nurses in these troubled areas to cope and be prepared for future disasters. Unfortunately around the world we have only made very small inroads into providing nurses with appropriate disaster nursing education and training at undergraduate and graduate levels, and in courses offered within health systems. ‘Health systems and health care delivery in disaster situations are only successful when nurses have the fundamental disaster competencies or abilities to rapidly and effectively respond' (World Health Organization and International Council of Nurses 2009, p. 6). Capacity building in nursing and midwifery is needed to help limit injury and death, and provide for the ongoing health and well being of communities long after the disaster event. For example, the psychological effects of disasters often last for many years, and nurses need to be trained in psychological first aid, just as they are trained in physical first aid. Nurses have a major role to play in risk assessment and in helping communities be better prepared for disasters, large or small. I hope that everyone who reads this editorial will take steps to prepare nurses and midwives for disasters of the future, for these will pose serious and ongoing public health risks wherever they occur. We need to take urgent and critical action in all countries to ensure that nursing curricula contain some element of disaster nursing. The ICN Framework for Disaster Nursing Competencies (2009) will help in designing such courses. Specific courses for disaster nursing have been instigated in a number of countries, but often in more developed countries. Nurses need to make international efforts in this capacity building, and this involves advocating, policy-making, research, programme design and implementation. Since we are the largest group of health professionals globally, it is within our power to bring to the attention of politicians and policy-makers the urgent need to prepare nurses for disasters. After all if we don't do it, who will? The only certain thing about disasters is that they will happen in the future, so do your best to help nurses of the world be better prepared. I believe that this is one of our moral and humanitarian imperatives of the 21st Century.

Clinicians and Journalists Responding to Disasters

Mass casualty events pose dilemmas for community clinicians, often challenging their existing clinical toolkits. However, few clinicians were trained to be experts in explaining the unfolding events to the community, creating resources, and interacting with journalists. The objective of this article is to explain knowledge, skills, and attitudes that mental health professionals need to consider when working with journalists, especially those covering children affected by disaster. In service of these objectives, this article reviews controversies, evidence, and best practices to facilitate effective collaborations and consultations with journalists. Advice includes information on how to be a good source to journalists. Clinicians can ethically and effectively help journalists tell accurate and compelling stories about the psychological effects of disasters when they understand and respect the aims, culture, and ethics of journalism.

Aurora CMHC Immediately Puts Crisis Plan Into Action

Aurora CMHC Immediately Puts Crisis Plan Into Action

A Resiliency Profile of Hurricane Katrina Adolescents

Information about the psychological status of children following a natural disaster is rare. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to create a psychosocial profile of relocated Hurricane Katrina youth ( N = 83, ages 13 to 17) and integrate the findings into a growing body of literature on the psychological effects of disaster. Data were collected using the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents. Findings indicate the population had overall below-average resiliency resources. The greatest of these resources are reflected in their ability to maintain a positive attitude, ask for and receive help, and solve problems. Other resiliency strengths emerged in the form of feeling calm and comfortable with people. Findings also indicate the population as showing above-average vulnerability and sensitivity to psychosomatic reactions, including high levels of impairment by and recovery from emotional upset. Suggestions for intervention are aimed at meaningful social support activities that emphasize the rebuilding of community via outdoor adventure education and service learning.

Helping Children Cope with Disasters and Terrorism

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 18 No. 1 (2008) ISSN: 1546-2250 Helping Children Cope with Disasters and Terrorism La Greca, Annette and Silverman, Wendy K. and Vernberg, Eric M. (2002). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association; 446 pages. ISBN 1557989141. Helping Children Cope with Disasters and Terrorism, edited by Annette La Greca, Wendy Silverman, Eric Vernberg, and Michael Roberts, is the ideal text for anyone who wishes to acquaint themselves with the research literature on the psychological effects of disasters and terrorism on children and youth. In the introduction, the editors draw attention to the commonly made assumption that young people’s reactions to disastrous events are transient, and that children are resilient to any lasting, deleterious effects in the aftermath of these events. Unfortunately, the chapters in the book provide clear evidence to the contrary through an extensive review of empirical research on children’s and adolescents’ negative reactions to disaster. Throughout the text, chapters provide insight into young people’s reactions to disaster and terrorism and review the factors associated with poor psychological adjustment following these events. Fortunately, the book also highlights the factors that may serve to protect children and youth from poor emotional and behavioral outcomes. For instance, chapters provide data on the utility of post-disaster intervention efforts as well as provide suggestions for implementing such interventions in young populations. The text is divided into five sections. The first section, entitled “Concepts and Key Issues,” is devoted to the broad conceptual and practical issues involved in working with children and adolescents who have experienced disaster and consists of four chapters. The initial chapter in this section defines disasters, reviews the general types of responses shown by young people with respect to the time elapsed since the disaster, and discusses factors and correlates influencing post-disaster reactions. This review includes definitions of the types of events that constitute disasters and emphasizes the variety of psychological responses reported in disaster-exposed 512 children and youth. The next chapter is devoted to assessment and reviews measures used for assessing exposure and emotional distress symptoms in young people. The next chapter in the section provides an overview of intervention strategies and points out the need for additional research on intervention programs in this unique population. The closing chapter of this section describes the current research regarding the potential impact of cultural differences on post-disaster functioning. The chapter emphasizes the lack of empirical data on the role of ethnicity and cultural contexts on disaster reactions among children and youth. The next three sections are devoted to detailed reviews of young people’s psychological adjustment in the wake of specific traumatic events: Part 2 consists of four chapters devoted to “Natural Disasters” (i.e., hurricanes and earthquakes, wilderness area and wildfire disasters, floods, and residential fires); Part 3 (four chapters) focuses on “Man-made and Technological Disasters” (i.e., toxic spills and nuclear disasters, mass transportation disasters, dam breaks, and motor vehicle accidents); and Part 4 (four chapters) covers “Acts of Violence” (i.e., exposure to shootings and hostage taking, terrorism, war, and community violence). In each of the chapters, the reasons why the events are considered traumatic and the impact they have been found to have on young peoples’ mental health, the family unit, and the community are explored. Because the text was published in 2002, there are no chapters devoted to the 9/11 terrorist attacks or Hurricane Katrina. However, from our own experience (Weems et al. 2007a, b) we can confidently say the text provides a very useful guide for researchers and clinicians conducting research and providing intervention postHurricane Katrina. Highlights of the chapters on specific types of disasters include detailed accounts of the implementation of interventions in various post-disaster environments. Descriptions of the interventions’ design (e.g., the target population, the qualifications of individuals screening children and youth for intervention, measures used to assess posttraumatic stress and associated symptoms, and the role and qualifications of individuals treating young people) provide clear advice for how to execute assessment and intervention. While case 513 studies illustrate the practical details necessary for using the information in novel contexts. Overall, sections 2 through 4 of the book help...

Psychological Effects of Disaster in Children

Psychological Effects of Disaster in Children

The psychological effects of disaster at sea.

In March 1987, the P&O car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized killing 193 passengers. Seventy-five survivors and relatives were referred by their solicitors to the authors for assessment of psychological injury. Information was gathered retrospectively and systematically from clinical notes and legal reports. The commonest symptoms suffered were sleep disturbance, loss of concentration and increased anger. The commonest diagnoses were post-traumatic stress disorder, other anxiety states and depression. Depressive symptoms were commoner in those who had been bereaved, anxiety symptoms were commoner in those who had not. Reluctance to discuss symptoms and to attend a psychiatric clinic was a common feature. As expected, bereavement led to grief and depressive symptoms, whilst passengers who were not bereaved were more likely to suffer anxiety symptoms. Contrary to expectations, the degree of immersion during the accident did not influence the type or degree of symptoms. Those with worse symptoms were more likely to attend the clinic. Women showed more affective symptoms and men more substance abuse.

Psychological Effects of Disaster

Psychological Effects of Disaster