The Relationship between Natural Disasters and Mental Health

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.5 Issue.3

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.23.3.09

REVIEW ARTICLE / DERLEME YAZISI

The Relationship between Natural Disasters and Mental Health

Doğal Afetler ve Ruh Sağlığı İlişkisi

Arzu Bulut¹

Abstract:

Disasters constitute a complex global problem and are inevitable facts of our lives. Disasters that occur every year worldwide affect individuals, societies, and countries. Mental health problems caused by disasters are among the most neglected issues worldwide, especially in underdeveloped countries. Therefore, it is necessary to understand this literature study to draw attention to the subject and fill the gap in the field. This research aimed to review the national and international literature on the relationships between natural disasters and mental health. This study was written as a traditional compilation. In our study, an unsystematic literature review was conducted. Studies including the effects of disasters on mental health and interventions published in full text in PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar electronic academic databases between 2008 to 2023 were examined in the literature review. During the literature search, “natural disasters,” “natural disasters+mental health,” “natural disasters+psychological health,” “natural disasters+early interventions,” the English keywords and their Turkish equivalents were used. In our study, the existing literature on disaster and mental health has been read, and disaster and mental health have been discussed as a holistic concept. In our research, disaster and its types, mental health, the relationship between tragedy and mental health, and early interventions constitute the conceptual framework of our study. Understanding the psychological effects of disasters on people can help optimize responses. The use of evidence-informed disaster interventions can reduce distress, enhance well-being, and improve functioning for affected individuals and communities.

Keywords: Disasters, Natural disasters, Mental health, Psychological health, Early intervention

* This study was presented as an oral presentation at the Aegean Summit, 4th International Congress of Applied Sciences (The Relationship between Natural Disasters and Mental Health) held in Mugla on 12-13 February 2022.

¹Asst. Prof., Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management, Balikesir, Turkiye, Orcid ID: 0000-0001-7362-5667

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Arzu Bulut, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management, Balikesir, Turkiye, Email: [email protected]

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 13.02.2022, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 25.07.2022, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 25.07.2023, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 22.09.2023

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Bulut, A. (2023). The Relationship between Natural Disasters and Mental Health, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 5(3): 265-273

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/