The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay Example for Free

The Psychological Effects of ecologic Disasters EssayThe highly advanced technologies emerging nowadays bring m some(prenominal) conveniences today that seemed out of the question fifty years ago. Yet, much(prenominal)(prenominal) improvements and developments atomic number 18 expected to bear different consequences. Ecological hazard, although a raw(a) phenomenon, is a consequence of man-made hazard. jibe to Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, and Nelson (1995), majority of the population have dumb rigd at to the lowest phase one traumatic event throughout their disembodied spirittime.Although the frequency of traumatic events is high, many pot, especi tout ensembley the great(p)s, be able to survive from different forms of catastrophe and argon liable(predicate) to recover from any traumatic event. However, on that point argon some who atomic number 18 unable to cope with the trauma from such events, such as the children who argon given to resilience. It is in deed a traumatic and sampleful experience to be present in any occurrence of an accident, calamity, or a tragedy. Victims of happening be likely to demonstrate some punctuate and worked up reactions such as grief, anger, fear, depression, anxiety, and somatization. different victims of ecological disaster are observed to manifest behavioral expressions of stress which include changes in illness behavior, problems in role functioning at home and in work, troubles of essence abuse, and domestic violence. Moreover, people who are suffering from severe mental illness (SMI) are to a greater extent prone to experience Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD (Bromet Dew, 1995 Havenaar et al. , 1997). One of the nearly severe and traumatic disasters occurred on April 26, 1986 was the magnification of the Chernobyl nuclear force-out plant, which took place for al just about 10 days.The explosion resulted in the enormous release of hot materials (e. g. iodine and caesium radionuclides) in the areas of Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Belarus. such radioactive materials are known to condition thyroid cancer (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 10). Approximately five cardinal people musical accompaniment in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were contaminated with radionuclides. Most of them were emergency workers and on-site personnel including army, local police and fire services, and power plant staff. Some residents of the said areas were also chance oned.The disaster response actions of the authorities such as the excreting of people from affected areas somehow reduced the health consequence of the radiation therapy exposures. Aside from thyroid cancer which hit the affected population, there is a notable change magnitude in mental problems among the residents of affected areas. Such was the result of disturbance and trauma brought by the explosion. People experienced stress and anxiety because of the lack of learning n igh the effects of such radiation and its consequences to social and economic security (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p.7). Until today, the concerned authorities are having difficulties in identifying and eliminating the psychological burden of the Chernobyl explosion. Meanwhile, many searches demonstrated that the occurrence of ecological disasters such as tragedy, terrorist act event, traumatic accidents, and another(prenominal)s could cause psychiatric disorders to human victims. Such disorders include depression, anxiety, somatization, ASD and PTSD. tallyly, there are several factors that are believed to precede to the cause of psychiatric disorder future(a) the occurrence of ecological disaster.Some believe that the feign of psychological effects of disaster depends on the core of information given to victims of traumatic events. Other researches set that a victim with lower level of education is prone to experience psychiatric disorder afterward the occurrence of a disaster. In addition, people who experienced many negative events in life are more likely to manifest mental disorders brought by traumatic event. Meanwhile, other researches assert that people with commanding and optimistic personalities are less vulnerable to psychiatric disorder.This research paper will delve into the psychological effects of ecological disasters and will highlight the various factors that affect victims psychological process of Chernobyl explosion, particularly the residents of Former Soviet Union. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this quantitative choose is to identify and search the factors that affect the mental processing of the victims of Chernobyl explosion. Respondents for this study are the affected residents from Former Soviet Union.The analysis for this study will dwell on whether Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and resilience can be predicted using variables such as participants age, gender, distance from disaster site, educational level, fewe r life stressors, exacting personality traits, and empowerment from having more information about the disaster. Moreover, the researcher will attempt to identify those victims who are likely to experience psychiatric disorder after experiencing ecological disaster and those who are not prone to such psychological disorder.It will also attempt to enumerate the different ways and treatments which will be helpful in preventing the psychological effects of ecological disaster. Statement of the Problem Generally, this research study aims to examine the factors that affect the psychological processing of the victims of ecological disaster, particularly the victims of Chernobyl disaster from Former Soviet Union. Specifically, this study aims to answer the avocation problems 1. What are the potential psychological effects of ecological disasters?2. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to experience psychological disorder? 3. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to cope from experiencing disaster thus overcoming traumatic and stressful obstacles? 4. How do other victims manage to flood out psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of disaster? 5. Why do other victims fail to overcome psychiatric disorder following a traumatic event? 6. What can be done to manage and prevent (if possible) the psychological effects of ecological disaster? 7.Who are the proper authorities responsible for addressing the psychological problems brought by the occurrence of ecological disasters? Hypotheses There are various factors that make the victims of ecological disasters more susceptible to psychological disorder, and these factors are the subject of hypothesis for this study. According to researches, the possibility for victims to develop a psychological disorder depends on the personality of the victims, level of education of the victims amount of information given to victims of disaster and quantity of negative events experienced by the victims.Based on the studies conducted by Aspinwall and Taylor (1992) and Scheier and Carver (1995), it was discovered that having a positive personality or being optimistic can contribute to the victims visible and psychological well-being. In addition, Scheier and Carvers (1995) study reveals that optimistic people believe that they could overcome any adversity. Thus, instead of avoiding the obstacles and challenges, optimistic people use problem-solving skills to cope with difficulties (Scheier Carver, 1995).Furthermore, numerous research studies have found that dispositional optimism (positive reason for migration, American acculturation, mastered of English language, and overall life satisfaction) could also lessen the meeting of stress to the experience of an individual (Ben-Zur, Rappaport, Ammar, Uretzky, 2000 Herman-Stahl Petersen, 1996 Aspinwall Taylor, 1992). People who have positive outlook are likely to use health care services following the experience of any traumatic disaster.St ill, there are factors that contribute to positive personality of individual such as demographic and social aspect, attitudinal-belief, and other structural variables (Anderson Newman, 1973). The researcher assumes that people with negative view of life and are pessimist are prone to experience psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of a disaster. Meanwhile, results of the research studies conducted by Breslau et al. (1997), Kessler et al. (1995), and Kulka et al.(1991) demonstrated that people with lesser educational attainment are more likely to experience PTSD such that lesser educational attainment is correlated with increased level of PTSD. Yet, there are inconsistent results from the empirical literature regarding the psychological and mental health of of age(p) adults. Majority of the literature review indicated that older people have a greater risk for physical injury and monetary loss, and have fewer social support, which then suggest that elderly are more vulnerab le to experience stress.Thus, this group is at a higher psychological risk of developing psychological disorder in the face of disaster (Krause, 1987 Phifer Norris, 1989). Therefore, the researcher presumes that people with high educational attainment and younger population are likely to be resilient to post disaster stress and trauma. Many research studies established that the individuals perception of risk following a disaster can cause poor health effects which is either physical or mental illness (Kazakov, Demidchik, Astakhova ,1992 Baverstock, Egloff, Pinchera, Ruchti Williams, 1992 Moysich, Menezes, Michalek, 2002).Yet, not all individuals have the same perception on the impact of hazard as according to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), perception on risks varies differently from one another. However, the level of stress caused by any traumatic event to an individual depends on how he or she perceived the risk of a disaster. To elucidate, the amount of information available for the victims of disaster affects his or her perception of risk (Renn Rohrmann, 2000).It is important to note that risk messages enclose factual, value-related, inferential, and symbolic meanings (Havenaar, Cwikel Bromet, 2002). In the case of Chernobyl explosion, hold information about the consequences of the explosion was disseminated to affected residents. Thus, people who have little information following radiation disasters like Chernobyl are likely to experience PSTD. In addition, the perception of the exposure has a significant impact on women, especially women with young children.The researcher then presumes that people who are less informed about the possible effects of disaster such as women and children are likely to suffer from psychological disorder. Other researchers established that victims who are exposed to the most intense features of the disaster are likely to develop the most severe stress reaction and are likely to experience poor mental health outcomes (Weiss , Marmar, Metzler Ronfeldt, 1995 Goenjian et al. , 2000). The degree of exposure significantly affects mental health outcomes.Individuals who are often exposed to high levels of stress in their everyday lives have a higher risk of experiencing mental disorders. Thus, the researcher assumes that individuals who are furthest from disaster sites are more resilient. Rationale for the Study The incidence of exposure to disaster is more frequent than expected. According to result of the research study conducted by Kessler et al. (1995), majority of the population have experienced a minimal of a single traumatic phenomenon in their lifetime.Epidemiological studies conducted by different researchers and specialists have found that approximately, leash quarters of the majority population in the U. S. has experienced a single traumatic phenomenon in their life (Green, 1994). To elucidate, approximately one billion people have been affected by natural disasters within the knightly 25 years (Weisaeth, 1995). Moreover, in a national morbidity survey, researchers found that 60. 7 percent of adult men and 51.2 percent of adult women in the United States have been involved to at least(prenominal) one traumatic event or an ecological disaster (Kessler et al. , 1995). Meanwhile, in North America, an estimated 17 million people are prone to a natural disaster each year (Meichenbaum Fitzpatrick, 1993). Furthermore, in a meta-review of psychosocial consequences of disasters, it was found that approximately 11% of individuals are suffering from minimal impairments, 50% from moderate impairments, while 21% and 18% are experiencing severe and very severe impairments respectively (Norris, Friedman, Watson, 2002).With these data, we could affirm that disasters are common events or phenomena. Since majority of the population are prone to experience traumatic events such as accidents, tragedy and other ecological disaster, it is important that people have enough understanding and are knowledgeable about the possible psychological or mental health consequences caused by these traumatic events.