مقالات پذیرفته شده در هفتمین کنگره بین المللی زیست پزشکی
Mental health of the elderly in the face of natural disasters
Mental health of the elderly in the face of natural disasters
Mohammad mahdi Mohammadi,1,*Zeinab Sadat Moosavifard,2
1. BSc in Nursing, Department of Nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran. 2. Department of Nursing, faculty of nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Introduction: Human confrontation and conflict with natural phenomena and unexpected events is one of the major problems of human societies and has a history as long as the history of human life. Despite scientific and technological advances, people have not yet been able to master these disasters and reduce the damages caused by them and the death toll. In this article, the researchers have investigated the ways to prevent social psychological consequences caused by the occurrence of natural disasters, which directly affect the maintenance of the system and the health of the society.
Methods: This is a research study of review and library type, and by studying reliable websites, articles, theses, and reliable books, which investigated issues related to social psychological consequences caused by natural disasters in the elderly.
Results: After disasters, people are exposed to many stressful factors. The main factors are: 1- types of physical injuries that cause pain and discomfort. 2- Not having a safe place for comfort and rest. 3- Encountering heartbreaking scenes; All these factors cause a lot of psychological pressure on people. The stress placed on a person during disasters is very debilitating and can knock anyone down.With the occurrence of severe mental stress caused by the disaster, reactions and symptoms occur in people and if not handled, they can lead to chronic mental disorders. Some of the symptoms and nervous reactions are: 1- Anger 2- Anxiety 3- Disappointment 4- Fear 5- Frustration 6- Sadness About 2 to 3 months after the incident, the stage of facing the reality begins. At this stage, the survivors realize the depth of the disaster and the irreparability of a large amount of damages. Vague physical complaints without physical illness are the effects of natural disasters. Symptoms and psychological reactions of people in disasters may continue even after a long time has passed. If these symptoms are severe or persistent and cause harassment to a person, it requires specialized intervention and psycho-social support.
Conclusion: The findings of this research show that the survivors need more psychological support, because they may lose their spirit again and become depressed and anxious and feel very lonely. It is very important to create a spirit of hope and trust and accuracy in the fair distribution of facilities at this stage. If there is no timely diagnosis and no recognition of the symptoms of any of the mentioned disorders, the disease will stabilize in the survivors and its treatment will be difficult. Timely intervention in accidents and disasters reduces its psychological and social effects, and the existence of previous preparation for the damage caused plays a protective role against stress, therefore, it is recommended to carry out necessary training programs for different sections of the society and health care workers.