Abstract
This integrative literature review examines the sources of the persistent debate over the influence of disasters on individual mental health that characterizes the disaster research literature. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this paper highlights how the connections between individuals and the systems in which they are embedded influence people's varied responses to disaster. Consistent with the emerging emphasis in the social sciences on contextualizing individual behavior, this paper examines how family, community, social structural, cultural, and environmental factors affect the development of stress in disaster populations. It concludes with recommendations for policy, practice, and research related to disaster recovery.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association 1987 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd ed. Washington, DC.
Anderson, Karen M. and Gerdenio Manuel 1994 “Gender differences in reported stress response to the Loma Prieta earthquake.” Sex Roles 30:9-10.
Aptekar, Lewis and Judith A. Boore 1990 “The emotional effects of disaster on children.” International Journal of Mental Health 7:81-104.
Austin, Linda S. 1992 Responding to Disaster: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Barton, Allen H. 1969 Communities in Disaster: A Sociological Analysis of Collective Stress. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Bates, Frederick L. and Carlo Pelanda 1994 “An ecological approach to disasters.” In R. R. Dynes and K. J. Tierney (eds.), Disasters: Collective Behavior and Social Organization:145-159. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware.
Baum, Andrew, Raymond Fleming, and Laura M. Davidson 1983 “Natural disaster and technological catastrophe.” Environment and Behavior 15:333-354.
Beinin, Lazar 1985 Medical Consequences of Natural Disasters. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Belter, Robert W. and Mitsuko P. Shannon 1993 “Impact of natural disasters on children and families.” In C. F. Saylor (ed.), Children and Disasters: 85-103. New York: Plenum Press.
Benedek, Elissa P. 1985 “Children and disaster: Emerging issues.” Psychiatric Annals 15: 168-172.
Berren, Michael R., J. M. Santiago, Allan Beigel, and Sue A. Timmons 1989 “A classification scheme for disasters.” In R. Gist and B. Lubin (eds.), Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster: 40-58. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Bolin, Robert 1982 Long-term Family Recovery from Disaster. Boulder: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science.
1985 “Disaster characteristics and psychosocial impacts.” In B. J. Sowder (ed.), Disasters and Mental Health: Selected Contemporary Perspectives: 3-28. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services.
1986 “Impact and recovery: A comparison of black and white disaster victims.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 4: 35-50.
1989 “Family in disaster: Theoretical and empirical aspects.” In E. L. Quarantelli and C. Pelanda (eds.), Preparation for, Response to, and Recovery from Major Community Disasters. Book and Monograph Series No. 22. Newark: University of Delaware, Disaster Research Center.
Bolin, Robert and Patricia Bolton 1986 Race, Religion, and Ethnicity in Disaster Recovery. Boulder: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science.
Bolin, Robert and Daniel J. Klenow 1983 “Response of the elderly to disaster: An age-stratified analysis.” International Journal of Aging and Human Development 16: 283-296.
Bolton, Patricia 1979 “Family recovery following disaster: The case of Managua, Nicaragua.” Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Colorado, Boulder.
Brown, George W., Tirril O. Harris, and Julian Peto 1973 “Life events and psychiatric disorders.” Psychological Medicine 3: 159-176.
Clarke, Lee and James F. Short Jr. 1993 “Social organization and risk: Some current controversies.” Annual Review of Sociology 19: 375-399.
Cohen, Robert E. 1992 “Training mental health professionals to work with families in diverse cultural contexts.” In L.S. Austin (ed.), Responding to Disaster: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals: 69-80. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Compas, Bruce E. and JoAnne Epping 1993 “Stress and coping in children and families.” In C. F. Saylor (ed.), Children and Disasters: 11-28. New York: Plenum Press.
Compas, Bruce E., Vanessa L. Malcarne, and Karen M. Fondacaro 1988 “Coping with stressful events in older children and young adolescents.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 56: 405-411.
Cook, Jerome D. and Leonard Bickman 1990 “Social support and psychological symptomology following a natural disaster.” Journal of Traumatic Stress 3: 541-556.
Crawshaw, Ralph 1963 “Reactions to disaster.” Archives of General Psychiatry 9: 157-162.
Dilworth-Anderson, Patricia and Harriet Pipes McAdoo 1988 “The study of ethnic minority families: Implications for practitioners and policymakers.” Family Relations 37: 265-267.
Dohrenwend, Barbara S. and Bruce P. Dohrenwend, eds. 1981 Stressful Life Events and Their Contents. New York: Prodist.
Dollinger, Stephen J. 1986“ The need for meaning following disaster: Attributions and emotional upset.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 12: 300-310.
Douglas, Mary and Aaron Wildavsky 1982 Risk and Culture: An Essay on the Selection of Technical and Environmental Dangers. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Drabek, Thomas E. 1986 Human Responses to Disaster: An Inventory of Sociological Findings. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Drabek, Thomas E. and William H. Key 1984 Conquering Disaster: Family Recovery and Long-Term Consequences. New York: Irvington.
Erikson, Kai T. 1976 Everything in its Path. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Farberow, Norman L. and Calvin J. Frederick 1978 Training Manual for Human Service Workers in Major Disasters. Rockville, MD: National Institute for Mental Health.
Faupel, Charles E. 1987 “Human ecology and disasters: Contributions to research and policy formation.” In R. R. Dynes, B. DeMarchi, and C. Pelanda (eds.), Sociology of Disasters: Contributions of Sociology to Disaster Research. Gorizia, Italy: Institute of International Sociology.
Fiese, Barbara H. and Arnold J. Sameroff 1989 “Family context in pediatric psychology: A transactional perspective.” Journal of Pediatric Psychology 14: 293-314.
Fothergill, Alice 1996 “Gender, risk, and disaster.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 14: 33-56.
Frederick, Calvin J. 1985 “Children traumatized by catastrophic situations.” In S. Eth and R. S. Pynoos (eds.), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders in Children: 73-99. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Fritz, Charles E. 1968 “Disasters.” The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Volume 4: 202-206. New York: Macmillan and Free Press.
Fritz, Charles E. and Harry B. Williams 1957 “The human being in disasters: A research perspective.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 309: 42-51.
Gist, Richard and Bernard Lubin, eds. 1989 Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Gleser, Goldine C., Bonnie L. Green, and Carolyn Winget 1981 Prolonged Psychosocial Effects of Disaster. New York: Academic Press.
Golec, Judith A. 1983 “A contextual approach to the social psychological study of disaster recovery.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 1: 255-276.
Green, Bonnie L., Mindy Korol, Marcy C. Grace, Marshall G. Vary, Anthony C. Leonard, Goldine C. Gleser, and Sheila Smitson-Cohen. 1991 “Children and disaster: Age, gender, and parental effects on PTSD symptoms.” Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescence Psychiatry 30: 945-951.
Haggerty, Robert J., ed. 1994 Stress, Risk, and Resilience in Children and Adolescents: Processes, Mechanisms, and Interventions. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hall, Philip S. and Patrick W. Landreth 1975 “Assessing some long-term consequences of a natural disaster.” Mass Emergencies 1: 55-61.
Hartsough, Donald M. 1985 “Measurement of the psychological effects of disaster.” In J. Laube and S. A. Murphy (eds.), Perspectives on Disaster Recovery: 22-60. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Helzer, John E., Lee N. Robins, and Larry McEvoy 1987 “Post-traumatic stress disorder in the general population: Findings of the Epidemiological Catchment Area Survey.” New England Journal of Medicine 317: 1630-1634.
Hewitt, Kenneth, ed. 1983 Interpretations of Calamity from the Viewpoint of Human Ecology. Boston: Allen & Unwin.
Hill, Reuben and Donald A. Hansen 1962 “Families in disaster.” In G. W. Baker and C. F. Jacobsen (eds.), Man and Society in Disaster: 185-221. New York: Basic Books.
Hobfoll, Stevan E. 1988 The Ecology of Stress. New York: Hemisphere.
Huerta, Faye and Robert Horton 1978 “Coping behavior of elderly flood victims.” Gerontologist 18: 541-546.
Joyner, Cathy D. and Cynthia C. Swenson 1993 “Community-level intervention after a disaster.” In C. F. Saylor (ed.), Children and Disasters: 211-231. New York: Plenum Press.
Lister, Eric D. 1982 “Forced silence: A neglected dimension of trauma.” American Journal of Psychiatry 139: 867-872.
Jasnowski, Mary L. 1984 “The ecosystem perspective in clinical assessment and intervention.” In W. A. O'Connor and B. Lubin (eds.), Ecological Approaches to Clinical and Community Psychology: 41-56. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Kasperson, Roger E. and K. David Pijawka 1985 “Societal response to hazards and major hazard events: Comparing natural and technological hazards.” Public Administration Review 45: 7-18.
Kilijanek, Thomas S. and Thomas E. Drabek 1979 “Assessing long term impacts of a natural disaster: Focus on the elderly.” Gerontologist 6: 555-566.
Kirby, Andrew, ed. 1990 Nothing to Fear: Risks and Hazards in American Society. Tuscon: University of Arizona Press.
Klein, David M. 1983 “Family problem solving and family stress.” In H. I. McCubbin, M. B Sussman, and J. M. Patterson (eds.), Social Stress and the Family: Advances and Developments in Family Stress Theory and Research: 85-112. New York: Haworth Press.
Lazarus, Richard S. and Susan Folkman 1984 Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer.
Lindy, Jacob D., Mary C. Grace, and Bonnie L. Green 1981 “Survivors: Outreach to a reluctant population.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 51: 468-478.
Lystad, Mary, ed. 1988 Mental Health Response to Mass Emergencies: Theory and Practice. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Marsella, Anthony J. 1984 “An interactionist model of psychopathology.” In W. A. O'Connor and B. Lubin (eds.) Ecological Approaches to Clinical and Community Psychology: 232-250. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
McCubbin, Hamilton I. 1979 “Integrating coping behavior in family stress theory.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 41: 237-244.
McCubbin, Hamilton I. and Joan M. Patterson 1983 “The family stress process.” In H. I. McCubbin, M. B. Sussman, and J. M. Patterson (eds.), Social Stress and the Family: Advances and Developments in Family Stress Theory and Research: 7-37. New York: Haworth Press.
McFarlane, Alexander C. 1987 “Posttraumatic phenomena in a longitudinal study of children following a natural disaster.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 26: 764-769.
Mederer, Helen and Reuben Hill 1983 “Critical transitions over the family life span: Theory and research.” Marriage and Family Review 6: 39-60.
Melick, Mary E. 1985 “The health of postdisaster populations: A review of the literature and case study.” In J. Laube and S. A. Murphy (eds.), Perspectives on Disaster Recovery: 179-209. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Mileti, Dennis S., Thomas E. Drabek, and J. Eugene Haas 1975 Human Systems in Extreme Environments: A Sociological Perspective. Boulder: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science.
Morrow, Betty H. and Elaine Enarson 1996 “Hurricane Andrew through women's eyes: Issues and recommendations.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 14: 5-22.
Myers, Diane G. 1989 “Mental health and disaster.” In R. Gist and B. Lubin (eds.), Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster: 190-228. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Penick, Elizabeth C., Barbara J. Powell, and William A. Sieck 1976 “Mental health problems and natural disaster: Tornado victims.” Journal of Community Psychology 4: 64-67.
Perry, Ronald W. and Alvin H. Mushkatel 1986 Minority Citizens in Disaster. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
Perry, Stewart E., Earle Silber, and Donald A. Bloch 1956 The Child and His Family in Disaster. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
Phillips, Brenda D. 1993 “Cultural diversity in disasters: Sheltering, housing, and long term recovery.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 11: 99-110.
Pilisuk, Marc and Susan H. Parks 1981 “The place of network analysis in the study of supportive social associations.” Basic and Applied Social Psychology 2: 121-132.
Quarentelli, Enrico L. 1960 “A note on the protective function of the family in disasters.” Marriage and Family Living 22: 263.
1979 “The consequences of disasters for mental health: Conflicting views.” Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, Tufts Lecture Series.
1985 “An assessment of conflicting views on mental health: The consequences of traumatic events.” In C. R. Figley (ed.), Trauma and Its Wake: The Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: 173-215. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
1987 “Disaster studies: An analysis of the social historical factors affecting the development of research in the area.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 5: 285-310.
Quarantelli, Enrico L. and Russel R. Dynes 1973 “When disaster strikes.” New Society (January): 5-9.
1977 “Response to social crisis and disaster.” Annual Review of Sociology 3: 23-49.
Reiss, David 1981 The Family's Construction of Reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Reiss, David and Mary Ellen Oliveri 1983 “Family paradigm and family coping.” Family Relations 29: 431-444.
Saylor, Conway F., ed. 1993 Children and Disasters. New York: Plenum Press.
Tableman, Betty 1980 “Prevention activities at the state level.” In R. H. Price, R. F. Ketterer, B. C. Bader, and J. Monahan (eds.), Prevention in Mental Health: Research, Policy, and Practice: 237-252. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Taylor, Anthony J. 1989 Disasters and Disaster Stress. New York: AMS Press.
Taylor, Verta A., G. A. Ross, and Enrico L. Quarantelli 1976 Delivery of Mental Health Services in Disasters: The Xenia Tornado and Some Implications. Monograph No. 11. Columbus: Disaster Research Center, Ohio State University.
Tierney, Kathleen J. 1989 “The social and community contexts of disaster.” In R. Gist and B. Lubin (eds.), Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster: 11-39. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Tierney, Kathleen J. and Barbara Baisden 1983 Crisis Intervention Programs for Disaster Victims: A Source Book and Manual for Smaller Communities. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health.
Warheit, George J. 1988 “Disasters and their mental health consequences: Issues, Findings, and future trends.” In M. Lystad (ed.), Mental Health Response to Mass Emergencies: Theory and Practice: 3-21. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
1985 “A propositional paradigm for estimating the impact of disasters on mental health.” In B. J. Sowder (ed.), Disasters and Mental Health: Selected Contemporary Perspectives: 196-214. Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health.
Wenger, Dennis E., Thomas F. James, and Charles E. Faupel 1985 Disaster Beliefs and Emergency Planning. New York: Irvington.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Edwards, M.L.K. An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Disasters and Stress: The Promise of an Ecological Framework. Sociological Forum 13, 115–132 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022112132247
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022112132247