Enhancing Disaster Resilience by Reducing Stress-Associated Health Impacts

Abstract

Disasters are a recurring fact of life, and major incidents can have both immediate and long-lasting negative effects on the health and well-being of people, communities, and economies. A primary goal of many disaster preparedness, response, and recovery plans is to reduce the likelihood and severity of disaster impacts through increased resilience of individuals and communities. Unfortunately, most plans do not address directly major drivers of long-term disaster impacts on humans—that is, acute, chronic, and cumulative stress—and therefore do less to enhance resilience than they could. Stress has been shown to lead to or exacerbate ailments ranging from mental illness, domestic violence, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorders, and suicide to cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, and other infirmities. Individuals, groups, communities, organizations, and social ties are all vulnerable to stress. Based on a targeted review of what we considered to be key literature about disasters, resilience, and disaster-associated stress effects, we recommend eight actions to improve resiliency through inclusion of stress alleviation in disaster planning: (1) Improve existing disaster behavioral and physical health programs to better address, leverage, and coordinate resources for stress reduction, relief, and treatment in disaster planning and response. (2) Emphasize pre- and post-disaster collection of relevant biomarker and other health-related data to provide a baseline of health status against which disaster impacts could be assessed, and continued monitoring of these indicators to evaluate recovery. (3) Enhance capacity of science and public health early-responders. (4) Use natural infrastructure to minimize disaster damage. (5) Expand the geography of disaster response and relief to better incorporate the displacement of affected people. (6) Utilize nature-based treatment to alleviate pre- and post-disaster stress effects on health. (7) Review disaster laws, policies, and regulations to identify opportunities to strengthen public health preparedness and responses including for stress-related impacts, better engage affected communities, and enhance provision of health services. (8) With community participation, develop and institute equitable processes pre-disaster for dealing with damage assessments, litigation, payments, and housing.

How is COVID-19 pandemic impacting mental health of children and adolescents?

“…A pandemic might be considered a disaster-like because a disaster consists of the non-routine character that exceeds the local capacity to respond to it, and changes community, government, and in individual support and infrastructure and affecting the region's stability [ 55 ]. Besides recruiting many resources from all instances of support, it does not stop other catastrophes from happening, and it even amplifies their effects by the lack of enough response [ 56 ]. It is evident in this revision when many modern pediatric problems are maximized, and some new problems and perspectives emerge [ 57 ].…”

Oil Spills and Human Health: Contributions of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

“…It will also be necessary for the human health research and development community to focus on research priorities and organize effectively. Finally, because human effect studies not related to direct oil exposure are generally not allowed under the implementing regulations of the Oil Spill Act of 1990 (Sandifer & Walker, 2018), it is recommended that Oil Spill Act of 1990 be updated to ensure coverage for direct, indirect, and long-term effects of oil spills on the mental and physical health of humans.…”

“…Disasters recurring in the GOM pose complex scenarios for response agencies attempting to minimize negative impacts. Sandifer and Walker (2018) reviewed disaster typology, recent disaster history, the resilience concept in relation to disasters, health impacts of disasters (especially those associated with chronic stress), and a variety of problems related to disaster response in the United States. Nicholls et al (2017) pointed to the need for emergency management officials to recognize the ability and usefulness of community health workers (CHWs) in disaster planning and response.…”

“…Nicholls et al further recommended the use of a specialized public health and community training curriculum for CHWs developed and implemented by the University of Southern Alabama. Sandifer and Walker (2018) reviewed disaster typology, recent disaster history, the resilience concept in relation to disasters, health impacts of disasters (especially those associated with chronic stress), and a variety of problems related to disaster response in the United States. Based on an extensive, targeted literature review, they made eight recommendations designed to enhance the resilience of both individuals and communities to disasters, including both long-term and short-term health effects: (1) improve disaster-focused health programs and responses; (2) increase collection of predisaster health data, including biomarkers; (3) enhance capacity of science and health responders; (4) use natural infrastructure to reduce disaster impacts; (5) better include displaced persons in disaster responses; (6) utilize nature-based treatment for disaster-associated stress; (7) strengthen health focus in disaster-related laws, policies, and regulations; and (8) develop more equitable process for dealing with financial aspects of disaster recovery to reduce recreancy.…”

Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters

“…Mental health impacts are a dominant effect of disasters (9), and disaster-related elevated stress may cause or exacerbate mental and physical disorders (10,11). Adverse physical health effects of disasters beyond immediate and near-term injuries are less well-studied than mental outcomes.…”