As we enter the twenty-first century, it is increasingly clear that large-scale disasters will be pervasive features of social life. The impact of disasters, according to the 2002 World Disasters Report, has significantly changed since
One hundred twenty-five commercial fishers in Cordova, Alaska, completed a mailed survey regarding current mental health functioning 6 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Economic and social impacts of the oil spill and coping and psychological functioning (modified Coping Strategies Scales, Symptom Checklist 90-R) were measured. Multiple regression was used to test the utility of the Conservation of Resources stress model for explaining observed psychological symptoms. Current symptoms of depression, anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder were associated with conditions resource loss and avoidant coping strategies. The Conservation of Resources model provided a framework for explaining psychological impacts of the oil spill. Future research is needed to identify factors related to recovery.
Along densely populated coasts, the armoring of shorelines is a prevalent cause of natural habitat loss and degradation. This article explores the values and decision making of waterfront homeowners and identifies two interlinked and potentially reversible drivers of coastal degradation. We discovered that: (1) misperceptions regarding the environmental impacts and cost-effectiveness of different shoreline conditions was common and may promote armoring; and (2) many homeowners reported only altering their shorelines in response to damage caused by armoring on neighboring properties. Collectively, these findings suggest that a single homeowner's decision may trigger cascading degradation along a shoreline, which highlights the necessity of protecting existing large stretches of natural shoreline. However, our study also found that most homeowners were concerned with environmental impacts and preferred the aesthetics of natural landscapes, both of which could indicate nascent support and pathways for conservation initiatives along residential shorelines.
Picou, J.S., Gill, D.A., Dyer, C.L. and Curry, E., 1992. Disruption and stress in an Alaskan fishing community: initial and continuing impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Industrial Crisis Quarterly, 6: 235-257.The study of technological disasters has been characterized by conceptual ambiguity and non-ecological considerations of community vulnerability. This research employs an ecological-symbolic theoretical approach that identifies natural resource communities as particularly vulnerable to disasters that contaminate biophysical resources. A longitudinal panel study, including a control community, provides data on disruption and stress experienced by residents of a small fishing community in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The analysis reveals a continuing pattern of stress and disruptions some 18 months at SIMON FRASER LIBRARY on June 11, 2015 oae.sagepub.com Downloaded from 236 following the spill. The report concludes with a discussion of the specific longterm patterns observed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.