Mental Health Consequences of Disaster Exposure in Older Adults

Srinivasan, Shilpa; Llorente, Maria D.; Magley, Meghan

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_21

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Although the short-term effect of the disasters on the physical well-being of older adults has been largely studied and proven that they are more vulnerable because of decreased sensory awareness, physical impairment, chronic medical conditions, and socioeconomic limitations experienced by many of the elderly,5–7 conclusions about the long-term psychological effects of natural disasters on older adults have been inconclusive. Some previous studies reported that the elderly are more likely vulnerable to psychological problems 4,8,9. However, other studies found that the elderly are less vulnerable to psychological impacts of disasters compared to younger survivors 10–12…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Are older people more vulnerable to long-term impacts of disasters?

Rafiey¹,

Momtaz²,

Alipour³

et al. 2016

CIA

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BackgroundDespite the growing interest in the study of disasters, there is limited research addressing the elderly population that lead to prejudiced beliefs that older adults are more vulnerable to disasters than younger adults. This study aimed to compare positive mental health between elderly and young earthquake survivors.MethodData for this study, consisting of 324 earthquake survivors, were obtained from a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in Iran, 2015. The long-term effect of earthquake was assessed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form questionnaire. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using SPSS (version 22) was used in data analysis.ResultsOlder adults scored significantly a higher level of overall positive mental health (mean [M]=34.31, standard deviation [SD]=10.52) than younger age group (M=27.48, SD=10.56, t=−4.41; P<0.001). Results of MANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference between older and young adults on the combined positive mental health subscales (F(3,317)=6.95; P<0.001), after controlling for marital status, sex, and employment status.ConclusionThe present findings showing a higher level of positive mental health among elderly earthquake survivors compared with their younger counterparts in the wake of natural disasters suggest that advancing age per se does not contribute to increasing vulnerability.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Are older people more vulnerable to long-term impacts of disasters?

Rafiey¹,

Momtaz²,

Alipour³

et al. 2016

CIA

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“…2 According to a recent publication on post-disaster outcomes among older persons, researchers found higher morbidity varied with the type of disaster as well as with comorbidities, low social support, need for prescription medications, hearing and visual impairments, impaired mobility, and cognitive deficits. 3,4 Age-related vulnerabilities represent a matrix of challenges for persons negotiating the given disaster, as well as for the agencies bearing legal and moral responsibility for individuals' well-being.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency Preparedness of Persons Over 50 Years Old: Further Results From the Health and Retirement Study

Killian

Moon

McNeill

et al. 2017

Disaster med. public health prep.

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This population of older persons was generally not well prepared for emergencies, and this lack of preparedness was widespread across social, demographic, and economic groups in the United States. Findings with implications for policy and outreach include the importance of health care providers discussing preparedness and the use of experienced peers for outreach. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:80-89).

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“…[ 42 , 43 ]. Further, the lower age limit of older adults is not consistent in literature, ranging from 60 to 75 years old, potentially limiting comparisons [ 34 ]. Besides, chronological age does not necessarily equate to ‘biological age’, and thus capacity rather than age is a better measure of individual ability [ 44 ].…”

Section: Background: Older Adults Disaster Vulnerability and Risk Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, research needs to expose the heterogeneity of vulnerability and capacities within older and retired populations to inform more comprehensive risk communication and DRR strategies. DRR approaches need to see beyond vulnerabilities and better-accommodate and value the resilience capacities of older adults, such as mental coping abilities formed through previous experiences of disaster or adversity [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flood risk perceptions and coping capacities among the retired population, with implications for risk communication: A study of residents in a north Wales coastal town, UK

Walkling

Haworth

2020

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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Flood risk communication strategies have been ineffective for older adults as they have failed to accommodate diversity, viewing retired populations as homogenous. There have been calls from academics and NGOs to develop more detailed understandings of older adults' risk experiences to inform disaster risk reduction (DRR) and communication approaches. We conducted in-depth interviews with twelve members of the retired population, of which the majority happened to be members of a local church, in a flood risk area of north Wales, UK, in 2018 to ascertain risk perceptions, coping capacities, and risk communication preferences to inform more age-centred approaches. Results present retired population are a diverse group with varying perceptions and capacities. While personal risk perceptions were low overall, coping capacities varied and were primarily social in nature, which can be sustained despite mobility or other limitations typical of older age. Participants expressed preference for traditional/interpersonal risk communication methods, such as telephone calls or home visits. A key recommendation from this study is that risk communication and DRR practices should adopt people-centric approaches that are co-produced and respect the differentiated vulnerabilities, capacities and needs of at-risk populations. This study and its findings are important is providing a more nuanced picture of the vulnerabilities and capacities of the particularly at-risk population of older adults. We must ensure that future DRR research, policies and practices focus on all experiences of at-risk populations, not only the dominant narratives or extremes of groups, to capture differences within groups’ abilities to support more effective community DRR.

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Mental Health Consequences of Disaster Exposure in Older Adults

Cited by 7 publications

References 79 publications

Are older people more vulnerable to long-term impacts of disasters?

Are older people more vulnerable to long-term impacts of disasters?

Emergency Preparedness of Persons Over 50 Years Old: Further Results From the Health and Retirement Study

Flood risk perceptions and coping capacities among the retired population, with implications for risk communication: A study of residents in a north Wales coastal town, UK

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