Coping behavior of elderly flood victims

Characteristics of Indoor Flood Fatalities: Evidence from Greece

Despite the important advances in flood forecasting and protection, floods remain one of the most lethal types of natural hazards. Previous works have explored several factors influencing the risks of flooding to human life and health. However, there is limited research and understanding on indoor flood fatalities and the circumstances under which they occur. This study explores victim-, building-, and situation-related characteristics in order to provide a better understanding of the conditions that lead to flood-related indoor deaths, exploiting a fatality database developed for Greece (1960–2020). The correlation analysis showed that indoor victims, compared with outdoor ones, tend to be older individuals, with high percentages of disabilities. A significant statistical association of the building material, roof type, and distance from the river with the building collapse was also found. The profile of the buildings in which flood fatality occurred was further compared with that of neighboring non-fatal buildings that were inhabited during the flood events. The statistical results indicated that the buildings with a fatality occurrence are mostly single-storey structures, made from masonry as the main building material. The findings have practical implications in risk communication and mitigation in terms of identifying the specific populations, circumstances, settings, and mechanisms that lead to dangerous indoor situations during flooding events.

Influential Factors Affecting Protective Coping Behaviors of Flood Disaster: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China

As the risk of urban flooding increases worldwide, floods seriously endanger the safety of people's lives and property. Understanding the protective coping behaviors of the public in flood disasters is crucial to the implementation of effective flood mitigation measures and flood risk management. In this study, influential factors affecting protective coping behaviors in the face of flood disasters were identified, and the effects of these factors were discussed as well. Shenzhen City in China was selected as the study area, in which a questionnaire survey of 339 respondents was carried out in three flood-prone districts. Correlation analysis was conducted to preselect potential influential factors. Then, two linear regression models were established to identify main influential factors and to explore the interaction effects of these factors. The results indicated that age, monthly income, flood experience, trust in government and insurance willingness were main influential factors of protective coping behaviors. Trust in government had the highest positive correlation coefficient, while monthly income and age were negatively associated with protective coping behaviors. The interaction between insurance willingness and monthly income jointly affected protective coping behaviors of the public. The findings of this study could help authorities better understand the public's intention to cope with flood and design effective risk reduction measures, not only for Shenzhen, but also for many other similar cities that facing with the same situation.

Affect Path to Flood Protective Coping Behaviors using SEM based on A Survey in Shenzhen, China

The initial concept of flood control has gradually shifted to flood risk management which emphasizes more public participation. Therefore, understanding the public’s protective coping behavioral patterns to floods is significant, and can help improve the effectiveness of public participation and implementation of flood-mitigation measures. However, the quantitative effect of socio-demographic factors on flood risk perception and behaviors is not clear. In this study, the socio-demographic factors are included to explore the quantitative relationship with and the affect path to flood protective coping behaviors with socio-demographic factors are studied. Shenzhen City in China is chosen as the study area, which suffers frequent urban floods every year. Questionnaire surveys are conducted in five flood-prone communities there, and 339 valid questionnaires were collected. The correlations between flood risk perception, flood risk knowledge, flood risk attitude, socio-demographic factors, and protective coping behaviors are analyzed firstly. A structural equation model (SEM) about these factors is then established to verify the correctness of hypothetical paths and discover new paths. The results indicates that socio-demographic factors and flood risk perception do not have impacts on protective coping behaviors directly, but are mediated by flood risk knowledge and flood risk attitude. Flood risk attitude is an important factor that affects protective coping behaviors directly. Moreover, two affect paths to flood protective coping behaviors are proposed. The findings of Shenzhen city in this study can be extended to other cities with similar characteristics, providing support for conducting effective flood mitigation measures.

Psychological and Physical Impacts of Extreme Events on Older Adults: Implications for Communications

In recent years, a series of large-scale, high-profile natural disasters and terrorist attacks have demonstrated the need for thorough and effective disaster preparedness. While these extreme events affect communities and societies as a whole, they also carry specific risks for particular population groups. Crises such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan have illustrated the risk of significant and disproportionate morbidity and mortality among older adults during disasters. Age does not necessarily equate to vulnerability, but many physical and psychological consequences of the aging process can increase the risk of adverse outcomes. As the older population grows, so too does the need to ensure that adequate, practical, and appropriate measures exist to offset the specific risks from extreme events associated with this subpopulation. Effective risk and crisis communication plays a key role in mitigating the extent to which older adults are differentially affected during extreme events. By identifying the specific issues affecting older adults, this review highlights important areas for action for practitioners and policy-makers, particularly in the realm of crisis communication. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:127-134).

The Impact of Support Received and Support Provision on Changes in Perceived Social Support among Older Adults

The current study uses longitudinal data from the 1993 U.S. Midwest floods to examine the influence of support received and support provision on changes in perceived social support among older adults exposed to an acute stressor. Results indicated that flood exposure and higher levels of social support at Time 1 were positively associated with both receiving social support and providing social support specific to the food. Individuals with higher levels of support provision and received support in turn reported higher levels of perceived support post disaster. Women were more likely to have received flood specific support and to have perceived higher social support post flood. This study provides support and elaboration of earlier findings that link disaster exposure to post-disaster changes in perceived social support.

Demographic Determinants of Disaster Preparedness Behaviors Amongst Tehran Inhabitants, Iran

Background: Tehran is vulnerable to natural hazards, especially earthquakes. Disaster preparedness behaviors (DPB) are measures that can mitigate the adverse consequences of disasters. Demographic factors affect DPB, however, the role of some of these factors is not still clear. By understanding these effects, disaster specialists could design interventions toward specific demographics. In the present study, we aimed to investigate demographic determinants of DPB.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in August 2014. The target population included inhabitants of Tehran who were 18 years or older. A total of 1250 participants were selected randomly and interviewed using a standardized questionnaire.

Results: Results of our study showed that monthly income level, previous disaster experience, residential district and occupation are demographic factors that influence DPB significantly. However, disaster preparedness was not affected by gender, educational level, number of household members, home type, home ownership and being the head of household.

Conclusion: To promote DPB in Tehran, disaster specialists should focus on improving DPB in low-income and unemployed people, and individuals who live in high risk districts, especially in those who have not experienced disasters.

Key words: Disaster, Preparedness behavior, Demographic determinants.    

The disaster flood experience: Older people's poetic voices of resilience

This paper explores the experiences of older community-dwelling Australians evacuated from their homes during the 2011 and 2013 Queensland floods, applying the novel creative methodology of poetic inquiry as an analysis and interpretative tool. As well as exploring how older adults managed during a natural disaster, the paper documents the process and potential of poetic inquiry in gerontological research. The first and second poems highlight the different social resources older people have to draw on in their lives, especially during a crisis. Poem 1 ("Nobody came to help me") illustrates how one older resident felt all alone during the flood, whereas Poem 2 ("They came from everywhere"), Poem 3 ("The Girls") and Poem 5 ("Man in Blue Shirt") shows how supported--from both family and the wider community--other older residents felt. Poem 4 ("I can't swim") highlights one participant's fear as the water rises. To date, few studies have explicitly explored older adult's disaster experience, with this paper the first to utilise a poetic lens. We argue that poetic presentation enhances understanding of older residents' unique experiences during a disaster, and may better engage a wider audience of policy-makers, practitioners, the general community and older people themselves in discussion about, and reflection on, the impact and experience of disasters.

Annual Research Review: Positive adjustment to adversity--trajectories of minimal-impact resilience and emergent resilience

BACKGROUND

Research on resilience in the aftermath of potentially traumatic life events (PTE) is still evolving. For decades, researchers have documented resilience in children exposed to corrosive early environments, such as poverty or chronic maltreatment. Relatively more recently, the study of resilience has migrated to the investigation of isolated PTE in adults.

METHODS

In this article, we first consider some of the key differences in the conceptualization of resilience following chronic adversity versus resilience following single-incident traumas, and then describe some of the misunderstandings that have developed about these constructs. To organize our discussion, we introduce the terms emergent resilience and minimal-impact resilience to represent trajectories of positive adjustment in these two domains, respectively.

RESULTS

We focused in particular on minimal-impact resilience, and reviewed recent advances in statistical modeling of latent trajectories that have informed the most recent research on minimal-impact resilience in both children and adults and the variables that predict it, including demographic variables, exposure, past and current stressors, resources, personality, positive emotion, coping and appraisal, and flexibility in coping and emotion regulation.

CONCLUSIONS

The research on minimal-impact resilience is nascent. Further research is warranted with implications for a multiple levels of analysis approach to elucidate the processes that may mitigate or modify the impact of a PTE at different developmental stages.

Conséquences des inondations de juillet 1996 sur la conception du chez-soi et la santé biopsychosociale des préretraités et retraités

In July 1996, major floods destroyed several houses occupied by pre-retirees (ages 50–59) and retirees (ages 60 and over). Faced with the task of relocating and rebuilding a new home, several of those older adults lived through difficult post-traumatic adaptation periods. The data collected during in-depth interviews with 31 aging people clearly show that the biopsychosocial health of pre-retirees and retirees, as well as their conception of home were greatly disturbed. The floods also had significant consequences on their behaviour, character and beliefs. A list of recommendations from the victims interviewed to individuals, workers and different government departments shows the need to take into account the emotional distress of victims in implementing emergency measures.

Psychological Health of Earthquake Survivors in Pakistan

This study investigated post-traumatic symptoms among survivors of the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. A total of 125 survivors who were admitted in different hospitals of Lahore city were interviewed using following measures: Detailed Assessment of Post-traumatic Stress (DAPS), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Other Dimensions of Trauma (ODOT). Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out on the data. The respondents showed significantly higher scores on all subscales of the DAPS and GHQ. Women showed significantly greater symptoms of stress both at the DAPS and GHQ. Signifi cantly greater number of people were coping by crying and requesting God to forgive their sins. On the basis of current findings, both short and long-term counselling strategies were suggested for psychological rehabilitation of the victims.

Control, Denial, and Heightened Sensitivity Reactions to Personal Threat: Testing the Generalizability of the Threat Orientation Approach

The threat orientation model proposes three dispositional responses to threats: control, heightened sensitivity, and denial. Two studies explored the psychometric properties of the previously developed threat orientation scales and the relationship between the orientations and the responses to a variety of threats. Study 1 found that the control-based and heightened sensitivity–based scales are reliable and were related to perceptions of health, financial, and terrorist threats with a nationally representative sample. Findings held across gender, age, and ethnic groups. Furthermore, Study 1 suggested two types of denial processes: optimistic denial and avoidance denial. Study 2 used a diverse sample to gain additional evidence for two processes of denial and developed measures of each type.

Effects of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 on employee attitudes

Much has been stated in the popular press about the effects of the events of 9/11/01 on employee attitudes about work. This study examined a large sample (N = 70,671) of employees of a multinational manufacturer whose annual employee survey data collection was interrupted by the events. After demonstrating measurement equivalence across time and countries, changes in attitudes pre- and post-9/11 were examined. Only negligible differences were found in Job Satisfaction, Supervisor Evaluation, Stress, and Organizational Commitment to Diversity for U.S. employees or for employees worldwide. Demographic differences in response to events were not found. Implications for understanding effects of stressful external events on employee perceptions of work are discussed.

The aftermath of an industrial disaster

An explosion in a Danish supertanker under construction in 1994 caused the death of six workers and injured 15. Six months later 270 workers took part in this study, which analyses the relationships between objective stressors, the workers' own feelings and the reactions of their families after the explosion together with training, attitude to the workplace, general out-look, and received crisis help. Traumatisation, coping style and crisis support was assessed via the Impact of Event Scale (IES), the Coping Styles Questionnaire (CSQ) and the Crisis Support Scale (CSS). Emotionally, workers and their families were strongly affected by the explosion. The IES-score was 17.6 and the invasion score 9.1. The degree of traumatisation was higher in the group who had an 'audience position' than in the group who was directly hit by the explosion. Training in rescue work did not protect against adverse effects. Rescue work had a strong impact on the involved. Social support was a significant factor, that seems to buffer negative effects. High level of social integration, effective leadership in the situation, and professional crisis intervention characterised the disaster situation. All the same, 41 per cent of the workers reached the caseness criteria by Horowitz (IES > or = 19).

Aged citizens in the warning phase of disasters: re-examining the evidence

While there is a strong consistent empirical literature on older citizens in the recovery period of disasters, there is much less research on how the elderly respond to disaster warnings. Furthermore, there are conflicting findings among these studies, some characterizing the elderly as noncompliant and less likely to cooperate with authorities, while others find the elderly no less responsive than other age groups. The current article reviews the literature in this area and tries to sort out conflicting findings in terms of the timing of the research and methodological considerations. Data are analyzed from nine disasters-representing flood events, volcanic eruptions, and hazardous materials emergencies-which show citizens over sixty-five years old no less likely to comply with disaster warnings.

Posttraumatic stress disorder after a bus accident

There is insufficient information on the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological reactions caused by surviving serious road accidents. This paper presents the assessments of 29 people who narrowly escaped death in a coach accident that killed eleven people. Their high vulnerability is clearly established, with 41% having PTSD, and 52% severe intrusion or avoidance phenomena, which included 31% who had both. The occurrence of psychological sequelae was associated with being currently distressed by another event, but not with the survivors' age, gender or acquaintance with people killed in the accident. Seeing bodies or witnessing the death of someone was the predominant cause of distress, both at the time of the accident and in a recurring way. Delayed reactions were evident, with the impact of several factors changing over time.

Vulnerability of disabled and elderly in disasters: case-study of Israel during 'Desert Storm'

Populations at risk in a disaster situation include the disabled and elderly. This large and growing segment of the population is in many ways more vulnerable than other people to safety and health hazards of disasters and has specific needs in emergency situations. The 'Desert Storm Operation' (Persian Gulf, January-February 1991) as it affected the elderly and disabled in Israel is described. Although the circumstances were rather specific, the increased vulnerability and some particular needs of this population were disclosed, and could be considered in the plans for preparedness for other types of disaster situations.

Life stage differences in resident coping with restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear generating facility

A study of residents who remained in the vicinity of Three Mile Island (TMI) immediately following the restart of the nuclear generating plant revealed that older residents employed a more emotion-focused coping style in the face of this event than did younger residents. Coping style was, however, unrelated to the level of psychological symptoms for these older residents, whereas demographic variables were related. Among younger residents, on the other hand, coping style was related to the level of psychological symptoms, whereas demographic variables were not. Among younger residents, emotion-focused coping was associated with more symptoms and problem-focused coping was associated with fewer symptoms, contradicting previous findings among TMI area residents.

The effect of disaster on the health and well-being of older women

Relatively little attention has been paid to the post-disaster health status and well-being of older persons. The data discussed in this article were gathered through use of a retrospective cohort survey five years following a major flood in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. The subsample of women sixty-five years and older used in this analysis is composed of 122 female victims and forty-five controls from the same communities. The instruments used to measure mental status included Langner's 22-Item Scale, Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale, and a modified Self-Report Symptom Inventory (SCL-90). Additional items related to self-perceptions of health status, to influence of the flood on health and well-being, and to other issues. Significant differences occurred in self-perceptions, including state of mind after the flood (p less than .001), distress during recovery (p less than .001), quality of life after the flood (p less than .001), and frequency of thinking about the flood matters (p less than .025). Use of the instruments designed to assess mental status did not indicate greater levels of anxiety or depression in elderly victims as compared to non-victims.