A Michael Middleton Presentation

Environmental Psychology:How Environmental Disasters Affect the Psyche

Environmental Psychology Defined:

A broad and interdisciplinary field of study concentrating on the relationship between humans and their environment.

Sustainability issues have pushed the boundaries of this field of study. It now more fully incorporates the effects of humans on their environment as well as the environment on them. Technology and societal issues factor heavily in this field of psychology.

...an encounter between a hazard (forces of harm) and a human population in harm's way, influenced by the ecological context, creating demands that exceed the coping capacity of the affected community (Ursano, 69).

A Definition of Disaster.

Consider the implications of that definition.

Two Types of Disasters

NaturalEarthquakes

Tornadoes

Floods

Hurricanes

Fires

Tsunami

Avalanche

Human-MadeTerrorism

Oil Spills

Chemical leaks

Nuclear

Mining

War

Technological

Two Types of Disasters

NaturalEarthquakes

Tornadoes

Floods

Hurricanes

Fires

Tsunami

Avalanche

Human-MadeTerrorism

Oil Spills

Chemical leaks

Nuclear

Mining

War

Technological

Disasters Overlap as Technology Advances.

Ask yourself how many of the examples given in the previous slide occurred during the Fukushima Earthquake in Japan? Are there more examples that aren't listed?

External Events That Can Help induce Trauma in Disaster Victims

destruction of their dwelling, substantial property loss, loss of job, exposure to traumatic stimuli, familiarity and identification with victims, worry about safety of significant others, stress reactions of significant others, preexisting stress, major trauma or loss especially within the last year, lack of social support, lack of material support, and poor coping skills based on past experiences (Myers, 42).

External Events That Can Help induce Trauma in Victims dealing with violent Disasters.

Lack of warning, lack of familiarity, weapons that can't be easily seen or identified, a wide spread perception that government response systems are not prepared, serious threat to personal safety, a sudden change in scene and reality (such as a building being there one moment and destroyed the next), the scope of destruction, the amount of fatalities, exposure to gruesome or grotesque situations, intentional human causality, intensity of emotions and psychological reactions, high degree of uncertainty, lack of personal control or accurate information, immediate or long term health problems (Myers, 239-246).

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Criterion according to the DSM

Criterion A: Stressor

The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present:

The person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others.

The person's response involved intense fear,helplessness, or horror. Note: in children, it may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.

What disaster events might cause someone to experience symptoms of Criterion (A) ?

Criterion B: Intrusive Recollection

The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways:Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: in young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.

Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: in children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content

Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes,including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: in children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.

Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

Physiologic reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event

What events might cause these symptoms outside of a war environment?

Criterion C: avoidant/numbing

Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by at least three of the following:Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma

Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma

Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma

Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities

Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

Restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)

Sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)

Have you experienced one of these symptoms? How might it feel to experience three of them simultaneously?

Criterion D: hyper-arousal

Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not present before the trauma), indicated by at least two of the following:

Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Irritability or outbursts of anger

Difficulty concentrating

Hyper-vigilance

Exaggerated startle response

Though rape may not be immediately thought of as part of enviromental psychology,these symptoms are especially prevalent in rape victims.

In a meta-analysis of 160 samples of disaster victims over 20 years, it was found that in 94% of the samples, females were more adversely impacted irrespective of if they were children, adolescents, or adults... (Myers, 58).

Criterion E: duration

Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than one month.

Often soldiers will fake normalcy in order to continue with their duties making this criteria difficult to ascertain in their situation.

Criterion F: functional significance

The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.Specify if:Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than three monthsChronic: if duration of symptoms is three months or more

Specify if:With or Without delay onset: Onset of symptoms at least six months after the stressor

Keep in mind that trauma can have varying effect on different socioeconomic groups as well as age groups. Traumatic experiences do not necessarily indicate a person will suffer from PTSD, but there is a strong correlation between disaster events and this particular disorder.

Questions to consider.

How might you react to an environmental disaster and how might that differ from other traumatic events?

How are natural environmental disasters different from other disaster events such as terrorism?

Works Cited

Fullerton, Carol, and Robert Ursano. Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print.

Myers, Diane. Disaster Mental Health Services. New York: Routledge Taylor& Francis Group, 2005. Print.

"PTSD Screening Instruments."United States Department of Veterans Affairs. US Department of Veterans Affairs, 02 Nov 2012. Web. 4 Apr 2013.