| Popis: |
Natural disasters of various kinds are occurring throughout the regions of the world, particularly in recent times. While the health consequences of these events have been recognized, the emotional sequelae suffered by people immediately and over a long term are also a priority. Similarly, disaster risk reduction and structural resilience has been emphasized in terms of alarm systems and building codes relative to coastlines, yet more attention to the psychosocial resilience of people is warranted. While mounting literature suggests the need for psychosocial interventions to assist survivors and the extended global community to address these important psychosocial impacts, more action, support and research are called for, to establish an evidence base for such programs. To support these efforts, and for them to be effective, policies are necessary on the national and intergovernmental level. The purpose of this chapter is threefold. First, I describe extensive advocacy on the part of psychologists regarding psychosocial resilience and recovery. Second, I review significant and ground-breaking government agreements and policies that currently support such efforts. Third, I highlight the importance of these agreements as a foundation for interventions. This chapter concludes with suggestions for future research and advocacy directives to achieve emotional resilience before and after disasters. |
