Community based Psychosocial Disaster Preparedness Through Trained Community Volunteers

Page: 92-96

Bakka Ashok Kumar and E. Aravind Raj (Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka)

Disasters cause adverse effects on the population of the community in all areas of lifestyle, such as physical, psychological, economic, and social, in all degrees of life. Psychosocial disaster preparedness is important for the community to minimize the catastrophic effects. The study aimed to assess the psychosocial disaster preparedness activities among trained community volunteers and find their challenges. The study adopted Ex post facto research design. The post-interventional assessment was carried out without a control group. Used a Self-prepared checklist for accumulating quantitative data from the community trained volunteers, and a Focus group discussion was carried out for the qualitative data from the community population. In this study, the result showed that psychosocial disaster preparedness activities such as early warning and communication, Search and rescue, First aid, Relief and Co-ordination, and Shelter management are effective in developing capacity, managing disasters and better knowledge among the community population. Implications for Psychiatric Social Work practice are mentioned in the paper.