Disaster Mental Health Risk Reduction: Appraising Disaster Mental Health Research as If Risk Mattered
1. Introduction
2. Special Issue on Disaster Mental Health Risk Reduction
2.1. Understanding Disaster Risk
2.2. Definitions
- Disaster risk: The potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed or damaged assets which could occur to a system, society, or a community in a specific period of time, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and capacity. Source: https://www.undrr.org/terminology/disaster-risk (accessed on 28 February 2023).
- Hazard: A process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption, or environmental degradation. Source: https://www.undrr.org/terminology/hazard (accessed on 28 February 2023).
- Exposure: The situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production capacities, and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas. Annotation: Measures of exposure can include the number of people or types of assets in an area. These can be combined with the specific vulnerability and capacity of the exposed elements to any particular hazard to estimate the quantitative risks associated with that hazard in the area of interest. Source: https://www.undrr.org/terminology/exposure (accessed on 28 February 2023).
- Vulnerability: The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors, or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards. Annotation: For positive factors which increase the ability of people to cope with hazards, see also the definitions of “Capacity” and “Coping capacity”. Source: https://www.undrr.org/terminology/vulnerability (accessed on 28 February 2023).
- Capacity: The combination of all the strengths, attributes, and resources available within an organization, community, or society to manage and reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience. Annotation: Capacity may include infrastructure, institutions, human knowledge and skills, and collective attributes, such as social relationships, leadership, and management. Source: https://www.undrr.org/terminology/capacity (accessed on 28 February 2023).
2.3. Overview of Special Issue Contributions
2.4. Summary of Key Themes
2.4.1. Risk Elements Addressed
2.4.2. Risk Reduction Strategies
2.4.3. Sendai and Health EDRM Alignment
Article | Article Synopsis | Disaster Context | Study Type | Primary Disaster Risk Focus | Entity Level Addressed | Risk Reduction Strategy Focus | Sendai Priority for Action (1–4) | Health EDRM Function (1–10) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Gray et al. (2020) [19] | Mapping and review of DRR-MHPSS integration domains and practices | Multi-hazard | Review | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Policy/Guidelines (DRR-MHPSS integration) | 2, 4 | 1, 2, 10 |
2. Te Brake et al. (2022) [20] | Assessment of the methodological quality of MHPSS guidelines | Multi-hazard | Review | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Policy/Guidelines (DRR-MHPSS integration) | 2, 4 | 1, 2, 5, 10 |
3. Dückers et al. (2022) [21] | Assessment of the content of MHPSS guidelines | Multi-hazard | Review | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Policy/Guidelines (DRR-MHPSS integration) | 2, 4 | 1, 2, 5, 10 |
4. McKenzie et al. (2022) [14] | Cross-sectional survey of mental health impacts and secondary stressors in flood-affected communities | Post-disaster (floods) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
5. Carl et al. (2022) [22] | Psychometric study to determine Post-Hurricane Distress Scale cut-off scores | Post-disaster (hurricanes) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5, 10 |
6. Garske et al. (2021) [23] | Spatial epidemiological study of negative emotional expressions on Twitter and associations with area demographics and hurricane damage | Pre-peri-post disaster (hurricane) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
7. Généreux et al. (2020) [24] | Multi-country, cross-sectional survey of mental health impacts and risk and protective factors during the COVID-19 pandemic | Peri-disaster (pandemic) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
8. Généreux et al. (2021) [15] | Multi-country, repeated cross-sectional survey of mental health impacts and risk and protective factors during the COVID-19 pandemic | Peri-disaster (pandemic) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
9. Harigane et al. (2021) [25] | Cross-sectional survey examining levels of and factors hindering social participation among nuclear accident evacuees | Post-disaster (nuclear accident) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks | 1 | 5 |
10. Pandit et al. (2021) [26] | Cross-sectional survey examining the cumulative effects of reciprocal social support on depression in earthquake affected district | Post-disaster (earthquake) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
11. Wind et al. (2021) [27] | Cross-sectional survey examining multi-level social mechanisms of depression following floods | Post-disaster (floods) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
12. Evans et al. (2021) [28] | Development and pre/post evaluation of disaster mental health training in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes | Multi-hazard | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Training/Education (DRR-MHPSS integration) | 4 | 3, 10 |
13. Matthews et al. (2020) [29] | Cross-sectional survey examining associations between flood impact, social capital and psychological distress in diverse rural community | Post-disaster (floods) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
14. Hidaka et al. (2020) [30] | Pre/post training evaluation examining association between anxiety over radiation exposure and occupational health management knowledge | Post-disaster (nuclear accident) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks Training/Education | 1, 4 | 3, 10 |
15. Orui et al. (2020) [31] | Development of training on radiation health anxiety and mental health issues after nuclear disaster; pre/post/follow up evaluation of counselling confidence | Post-disaster (nuclear accident) | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Training/Education | 4 | 3, 10 |
16. Knipscheer et al. (2020) [16] | National cross-sectional survey examining prevalence of potentially traumatic and other life events, PTSD and risk and protective factors | Multi-hazard | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity Disaster MH impacts | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks DMH impact assessment | 1 | 5 |
17. Sijbrandij et al. (2020) [32] | Cluster-RCT examining PFA training effectiveness on health unit staff knowledge and understanding of psychosocial support principles and skills following adversity | Multi-hazard | Empirical study | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Training/Education | 4 | 3, 10 |
18. Comtesse et al. (2021) [33] | Explores ecological grief as a functional and/or maladaptive response to environmental change, outlining future directions for disaster mental health and bereavement research | Multi-hazard | Perspective | Hazard Exposure Vulnerability Capacity | Individual Community Organization Sector National/societal Regional Global | Understanding DMH risks | 1 | 5 |
3. Reflection on the Current State of Knowledge in the Field
4. Advantages and Limitations of the Risk Perspective
5. Challenges, Gaps, and Ways Forward
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Reifels, L.; Dückers, M.L.A. Disaster Mental Health Risk Reduction: Appraising Disaster Mental Health Research as If Risk Mattered. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 5923. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20115923
Reifels L, Dückers MLA. Disaster Mental Health Risk Reduction: Appraising Disaster Mental Health Research as If Risk Mattered. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(11):5923. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20115923
Chicago/Turabian StyleReifels, Lennart, and Michel L. A. Dückers. 2023. "Disaster Mental Health Risk Reduction: Appraising Disaster Mental Health Research as If Risk Mattered" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 11: 5923. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20115923