Health effects of relocation following disaster: a systematic review of the literature
Abstract
This paper reviews the literature on the effects of post‐disaster relocation on physical and mental heath, and develops a conceptual framework to guide future research. Forty articles were selected for full‐text review and incorporation into the conceptual framework. Twenty‐four articles were reviewed for results and methodology. These overwhelmingly tracked mental health outcomes. Only four (16 per cent) focused on physical health. Eight of ten showed an association between relocation and psychological morbidity. Certain outcomes (such as mortality, injury and cardiovascular disease risk factors) revealed inconsistent results, but these were rarely studied. Despite the frequency of post‐disaster relocation and evidence of its effect on psychological morbidity, there is a relative paucity of studies; the few examples in the literature reveal weak study designs, inconsistent results, and inattention to physical health impacts and the challenges facing vulnerable populations. Further research guided by theory is needed to inform emergency preparedness and recovery policy.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Miyake Island Volcano Disaster in Japan: Loss, Uncertainty, and Relocation as Predictors of PTSD and DepressionJournal of Applied Social Psychology, 2006
- Risk factors for psychological and physical health problems after a man-made disasterThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 2006
- Predictors of psychological distress in survivors of the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey: effects of relocation after the disasterActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2006
- Timing of mortality among internally displaced persons due to the tsunami in Sri Lanka: cross sectional household surveyBMJ, 2006
- Disaster and associated changes in physical and mental health in older residentsEuropean Journal of Public Health, 2005
- Relocation of the ElderlyMedical Care Research and Review, 2001
- The effect of relocation after a natural disasterJournal of Traumatic Stress, 2001
- Posttraumatic Stress and Depressive Reactions Among Nicaraguan Adolescents After Hurricane MitchAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2001
- Societal Response to Mass Dislocation of the Elderly Implications for Area Agencies on AgingThe Gerontologist, 1977
- Cyclone tracy: I some consequences of the evacuation for adult victimsAustralian Psychologist, 1977