The Role Of Psychology In Emergencies And Disasters
In our time, the effects of climate change and the high levels of pollution that industrial powers emit into the Earth’s atmosphere are causing negative consequences for the entire world population such as strong waves, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
This natural instability caused, added to the war conflicts that take place in many regions of the world, such as the recent bombings in the Gaza Strip, alert us to a state of emergency not only medical but also psychological, giving rise to many disorders that can only be be treated by mental health specialists.
The figure of the psychologist is one of the different professionals and specialists who intervene in disaster situations The role or role played within the team in charge of normalizing life in these scenarios is certainly cardinal, and it is for this reason that the presence of qualified mental health professionals is essential when addressing these phenomena. Through this writing we will define what emergency and disaster psychology is, the fields of interaction, the techniques and the role of the psychologist.
This branch of psychology that studies the experiences and reactions of the person or groups of people before, during and after emergencies is experiencing a boom due to the need to cover these types of extreme situations with trained professionals.
In the book Public health manual the authors define the Psychology of emergencies and disasters in this way:
“Emergency and disaster psychology is the branch of psychology that covers the study of the behavior and reaction mode of individuals, groups or human collectives in the different phases of an emergency or disaster situation” (Acevedo and Martínez, 2007). ).
Nowadays, This subdiscipline has expanded rapidly and it becomes increasingly necessary due to changes in all spheres, in an era where natural disasters are frequent and armed conflicts take their toll in many parts of the planet. There is no part of the world that is not shaken by some event that requires urgent assistance.
All of these circumstances have made it essential in many countries to include mental health professionals in intervention and rescue work groups, in order to intervene in any emergency that may arise.
Psychology in emergencies: fields of intervention
The psychologist who works in this field interacts with all types of professionals, such as technicians, doctors, social workers, sociologists, engineers, rescue and aid entities such as the Red Cross, police, army, civil defense, etc. Likewise, this young branch of psychology is also closely linked to the other areas of the study of behavior and mental processes:
The contributions that the two-way relationship With the other branches of psychology, it enriches the work of the psychologist who works in emergency situations, combining knowledge from different areas to be able to offer an urgent assistance service adapted to the complexity that these situations entail.
Psychology Intervention Techniques in emergencies and disasters
According to Acevedo and Martínez (2007), The techniques are as follows:
These are some of the many techniques that the psychologist uses to intervene. We must not forget that it will depend largely on the field where the intervention is developed: in some situations it will be necessary to emphasize some points more than others.
Not all tragedies are the same, therefore it is not feasible to establish equal protocols for asymmetric situations. The action sheet will depend on the type of disaster the behavior of the people who have been affected, the severity, and ultimately the specific casuistry of each intervention.
Role of the psychologist
The professional in this specialty of psychology must be prepared psychologically and emotionally to face the most varied contingencies Some emergency psychologists warn that it is a specialty in which, beyond the great technical and mental preparation it requires, a great vocation is essential. It must be admitted that not all psychologists are prepared to act and work under so much pressure and in situations of special vulnerability.
It should be remembered that the psychologist will deal with people with traumatic episodes that can generate states of anxiety, panic attacks, heartbreak… The goal of the professional is to regulate emotional and psychological crises both at the individual level and, above all, at the level of the group in general. who is in charge, which also implies excellence in time and resource management.
An interesting fact is that proposed by Beltrán, Valero and García (2007), who cite in their book Professionals in psychology in the face of the Puertas disaster (1997), an author who states that the different aspects of training and competencies that a emergency psychologist are:
The role of the psychologist is make people aware of their vulnerable states and examine the psycho-emotional impact of the disaster creating an environment of protection and assistance, thus promoting a climate of trust in the person or group of people, and regulating the negative psychological reactions that occur in them.
There may be cases in which the professional will have to intervene with one of his professional colleagues or other members of the assistance teams (medical, security, technicians…), because some type of unforeseen negative reaction may also occur in them. This circumstance is more common than you might think, and it attests to the fact that no matter how prepared professionals are, no one is immune to suffering a crisis.
