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A meta-analytic investigation of the psychological effects of disaster
Abstract
Despite forty years of disaster research, a distinct and coherent "psychology of disaster" has yet to emerge. A sociological perspective on disaster tends to minimize the occurrence and importance of the psychological effects of disaster. A clinical perspective focuses almost exclusively on the development of psychopathology as a result of exposure to disaster stressors. In place of these two perspectives a psychosocial alternative was recommended, and a meta-analytic investigation of existing research was conducted. Hypotheses guided by the psychosocial perspective were tested, as were hypotheses designed to clarify the influences of various methodological factors. Results indicate that individuals exposed to disaster experience a 16% increase in distress when compared to unexposed individuals. The overall direction and magnitude of this effect was consistent, with only minor yet significant fluctuations occurring as a function of the influence of moderator variables. The largest variation in effect size resulted from the use of dependent measures reflecting the processes rather than products of coping with disaster related distress. Identified was the need for the development of dependent measures that can more specifically capture the psychological processes of coping with disaster. Such a step would ensure that an exploration of human resiliency and adaptability in the face of disaster would be undertaken along with concerns regarding the pathogenic nature of disaster.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
Skrovan, John Clarence, "A meta-analytic investigation of the psychological effects of disaster" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9736954.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9736954