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Mar 28 / 2021

The Role of Psychology in Emergencies and Disasters

We explain the crucial role psychologists play in catastrophic situations.

In our time, the effects of climate change and the high rates of pollution that industrial powers are emitting into the earth's atmosphere are causing negative consequences for the entire world's populationThe effects of climate change, such as heavy waves, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters, are having negative consequences for the entire world's population.

This provoked natural instability, added to the war conflicts taking 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 treated by specialists in mental health.

Psychology in emergencies and disasters

The psychologist is one of the various professionals and specialists involved in disaster situations.. The role of the psychologist 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 dealing with these phenomena. In this paper 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, which studies the experiences and reactions of individuals or groups of people before, during and after emergencies, is experiencing a boom due to the need to cover this type of extreme situations with trained professionals.

Defining Psychology in emergencies and disasters

In the book Public Health ManualThe authors define the psychology of emergencies and disasters as follows:

"Psychology of emergencies and disasters is the branch of psychology that encompasses the study of the behavior and mode of reaction of individuals, groups or human collectives in the different phases of an emergency or disaster situation" (Acevedo and Martinez, 2007).

Nowadays, this sub-discipline has expanded rapidly and is becoming increasingly necessary due to changes in all spheres, at a time when natural disasters are frequent and armed conflicts are taking 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 these circumstances have made it essential in many countries to include mental health professionals in intervention and rescue working groups, in order to intervene in any emergency that may arise.

Psychology in emergencies: fields of intervention

The psychologist working in this field interacts with all types of professionals, such as technicians, physicians, social workers, sociologists, engineers, rescue and aid organizations such as the Red Cross, police, army, civil defense, etc. Likewise, this young branch of psychology is also closely linked to the other fields of the study of behavior and mental processes:

  • Clinical psychology

  • Educational psychology

  • Health psychology

  • Psychophysiology

  • Organizational psychology

  • Social or community psychology

The contributions provided by the bidirectional relationship with the other branches of psychology enriches the work of the psychologist working in emergency situations, bringing together knowledge from different fields to be able to offer an emergency assistance service adapted to the complexity of these situations.

Intervention Techniques of Psychology in emergencies and disasters

According to Acevedo and Martínez (2007), the techniques are as follows:

  • Psychological first aid

  • Intervention in bereavement situations

  • Psychological demobilization techniques for the management of critical incidents

  • Therapeutic group intervention for evacuees

  • Community intervention techniques aimed at the recovery of social networks and support.

  • Integration of first responders by participating in training programs, designing containment programs.

These are some of the many techniques that the psychologist uses to intervene. We must not forget that it will depend to a great extent on the field where the intervention takes place: in some situations it will be necessary to emphasize some points more than others.

Not all tragedies are the same, so it is not feasible to establish the same protocols for asymmetrical situations. The action sheet will depend on the type of disaster, the behavior of the people who have been involved in the disaster, the type of disaster and the type of disaster itself.The action sheet will depend on the type of disaster, the behavior of the people who have been affected, the severity, and, in short, the casuistry of each intervention.

Role of the psychologist

The professional in this field of psychology must be psychologically and emotionally prepared to face the most varied contingencies.. Some emergency psychologists warn that it is a specialty in which, beyond the great technical and mental preparation required, 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, disconsolation... 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 in charge, which also implies excellence in the management of time and resources.

An interesting fact is provided by Beltrán, Valero and García (2007), who quote in their book Profesionales de la psicología ante el desastre by Puertas (1997), author who states that the different aspects of the training and competencies that an emergency psychologist should have are:

  • Social skills

  • Communication techniques

  • Knowledge of collective behavior

  • Technical knowledge of emergency intervention

The role of the psychologist is to to make people aware of their vulnerable states and to examine the psychoemotional impact of the disasterThe role of the psychologist is to create an atmosphere of protection and assistance, thus promoting a climate of trust in the person or group of people, and to regulate the negative psychological reactions that may occur in them.

There may be cases in which the professional will have to intervene with some of his colleagues or other members of assistance teams (medical, security, technical...), because they may also have some kind of unforeseen negative reaction. This circumstance is more common than one might think, and attests to the fact that no matter how well prepared professionals are, no one is immune to suffering a crisis.

Bibliographic references:

  • Acevedo, G. and Martínez, G. (2007). Manual de Salud Pública. Editorial Encuentro. Córdoba, Argentina.
  • García Redón, J., Gil Beltrán, J., and Valero, V. (2007). Psychology professionals in the face of disaster. Editorial Universitat Jaume I.

(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)

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