27 February 2023

What is Disaster Psychology? What are its effects on human beings?

Disaster is defined as any natural or man-made event that interrupts daily life and causes major damage.

In order to speak of a disaster, the normal flow of life must be disrupted and great losses must occur in the society. The psychosocial trauma experienced by individuals as a result of the disaster negatively affects a large part of their lives.

In order to ensure post-disaster psychological well-being and increase resilience, supportive activities for prevention should be carried out before the disaster. Within the scope of these activities, the concept of disaster psychology emerges.

What is Disaster Psychology?

Disaster psychology is a multidisciplinary field that covers the determination of the psychosocial effects of disasters on people and practices for maintaining well-being after disasters. The development of disaster preventive studies that will mobilize individuals and accelerating the recovery process after the disaster are the main fields of study of disaster psychology.

Disaster psychology is not only about improving the psychology of individuals or communities. It also addresses various intervention initiatives by creating disaster awareness at the social level. In order to ensure psychological well-being in the process after the disaster, it is necessary to get support from experts in the field. When psychological support is not provided correctly, more severe consequences may occur.

Recommendation:Secondary Trauma and Communication with Earthquake Victims

What are the Effects of Disasters on Humans?

In the face of natural disasters, a person may be directly affected or may witness serious injuries or even death of their close environment. The psychological mood changes experienced in this process are considered within the scope of trauma. It would not be right to expect the individual to return to normal life immediately after the disaster. It may take months and sometimes years to overcome this process.

Disasters have negative effects on human psychology such as anxiety, fear, sadness and anger. In addition, sleep difficulties, loss of appetite and irritability can also be observed. After the mental breakdown, it becomes difficult for the individual to adapt to normal life.

Children are highly affected by post-disaster traumas because they are still in the developmental stage. Their reactions after the disaster are mostly withdrawn, anxious and fearful. As a result of traumatic events such as disasters, various disorders may also occur in individuals.

Anxiety disorders, depression, stress and behavioral disorders that develop after trauma are among the common psychosocial factors among children and adults. Acting with an expert opinion in the face of these situations will ensure effective treatment in a short time.

How to Protect Yourself from Disaster Impacts

Here are some ways to help people who have experienced post-disaster trauma;

  • Confront the emotions you feel in order to deal with them.
  • Do not try to return to normal life at once.
  • Start making changes in your lifestyle.
  • Get away from the feeling of loneliness by participating in joint activities.
  • If you have experienced an earthquake, be sure to seek expert advice.

Recent natural disasters are a matter of great concern. Risk factors increase unless protection against disasters, which cause great loss of life and property, is practiced. The effects of the disaster can be mitigated with the measures to be taken. Today, there are 31 types of natural disasters worldwide. Knowing the ways to protect yourself against these disasters will accelerate your well-being in the post-disaster process.

In conclusion;

Every individual experiences different traumatic effects after a disaster. You may have difficulty remembering the events after the disaster or experience fear of loneliness. In these cases, expert treatment is as important as individual treatment.

In this article, we talked about what disaster psychology is, the challenges of natural disasters, and how to protect yourself from them. For more information on earthquake psychology and trauma, see Psychological Effects of an Earthquake: How to Overcome Stress and Trauma.


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