Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Apr 26:4:18.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-016-0120-9.

Social and occupational factors associated with psychological distress and disorder among disaster responders: a systematic review

Samantha K Brooks  1 , Rebecca Dunn  2 , Richard Amlôt  3 , Neil Greenberg  2 , G James Rubin  2
Affiliations

Social and occupational factors associated with psychological distress and disorder among disaster responders: a systematic review

Samantha K Brooks et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: When disasters occur, there are many different occupational groups involved in rescue, recovery and support efforts. This study aimed to conduct a systematic literature review to identify social and occupational factors affecting the psychological impact of disasters on responders.

Methods: Four electronic literature databases (MEDLINE®, Embase, PsycINFO® and Web of Science) were searched and hand searches of reference lists were carried out. Papers were screened against specific inclusion criteria (e.g. published in peer-reviewed journal in English; included a quantitative measure of wellbeing; participants were disaster responders). Data was extracted from relevant papers and thematic analysis was used to develop a list of key factors affecting the wellbeing of disaster responders.

Results: Eighteen thousand five papers were found and 111 included in the review. The psychological impact of disasters on responders appeared associated with pre-disaster factors (occupational factors; specialised training and preparedness; life events and health), during-disaster factors (exposure; duration on site and arrival time; emotional involvement; peri-traumatic distress/dissociation; role-related stressors; perceptions of safety, threat and risk; harm to self or close others; social support; professional support) and post-disaster factors (professional support; impact on life; life events; media; coping strategies).

Conclusions: There are steps that can be taken at all stages of a disaster (before, during and after) which may minimise risks to responders and enhance resilience. Preparedness (for the demands of the role and the potential psychological impact) and support (particularly from the organisation) are essential. The findings of this review could potentially be used to develop training workshops for professionals involved in disaster response.

Keywords: Disaster response; Disasters; Psychological impact; Systematic review; Wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Scores for overall quality of included papers, assessed via quality appraisal tool
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Neria Y, Nandi A, Galea S. Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: a systematic review. Psychol Med. 2008;38:467–80. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Guha-Sapir D, Hoyois P, Below R. Annual disaster statistical review 2013. 2013.
    1. James K. Introduction to the special issue: terrorism, disaster, and organisational science. J Organ Behav. 2011;32:933–7. doi: 10.1002/job.758. - DOI
    1. Neria Y, DiGrande L, Adams BG. Posttraumatic stress disorder following the september 11, 2001, terrorist attacks: a review of the literature among highly exposed populations. Am Psychol. 2011;66(6):429–46. doi: 10.1037/a0024791. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brooks SK, Dunn R, Sage CAM, Amlôt R, Greenberg N, Rubin J. Risk and resilience factors affecting the psychological wellbeing of individuals deployed in humanitarian relief roles after a disaster. J Ment Health. 2015;24(6):385–413. doi: 10.3109/09638237.2015.1057334. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types