Natural disasters: Psychological influences on preparedness

• Elly Robinson
• Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse

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Image: fisserman / Flickr

04 December 2009Events such as last summer's bushfires and floods have had a significant impact on many Australian families. As another summer approaches, family relationship service providers may be in a position where, within the scope of their normal service provision, they may assist families not only to physically prepare but also psychologically prepare for natural disaster events.

This article is a brief exploration of the role of psychology-related factors that shape individual responses to potential natural disasters. While limited literature exists on families and their experiences of natural disasters, research on individual responses can help to consider ways in which families and family members, as a whole, can adjust to the threat of future events and support each other.

Awareness of natural disasters in Australia has been considerably heightened in the past year due to a number of critical events. These include the February 2009 bushfires in Victoria, in which 173 people died and over 2,000 homes were destroyed, and flooding in North Queensland in January and February 2009. These events occurred within the context of an increasing number of disasters worldwide (see box). The currency and importance assigned to climate change and its perceived relationship to natural disasters, as well as mainstream media reporting on this relationship, can also lead to increasing anxiety and fear within the community. An understanding of factors that influence not just physical preparedness, but also psychological preparedness, can help families to adopt helpful strategies and actions to mitigate the impact of future natural disaster events.

Image: 'How can we dance?', fisserman / Flickr