Disasters and Terrorism

Natural and human-made disasters often strike with overwhelming force and little warning. In addition to occurring randomly and unpredictably, terrorist activities have a faceless enemy with malevolent intent and are usually tinged with political ramifications. Importantly, terrorism and natural disasters are ongoing threats to individuals and their communities, adding to the stress of their everyday lives. When a large-scale disaster or terrorist event occurs, every aspect of community life can be disrupted, and these experiences can affect an individual's emotional, social, physical, and environmental support system.

In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, it is normal for adults of all ages to experience myriad powerful emotional reactions, including shock, disbelief and numbness, fear and anxiety, anger and sadness, and unfamiliar feelings such as survivor guilt. Somatic symptoms (e.g., nausea, loss of appetite, headaches) are also common, as are ongoing memories and mental pictures of the disaster, sleep disturbances or nightmares, and difficulties in concentrating. Because survivors often accurately recognize the grave danger to which they were exposed during the disaster, mild to moderate acute or posttraumatic stress reactions are not uncommon.

Disasters also have immediate social consequences in that many seek to be close to friends, family, neighbors, or similarly affected others; have a desire to talk about their experiences; and want to try to help those in need. Whereas most healthy older persons will be able to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster with minimal assistance, vulnerable populations of older adults may be at risk for short- and long-term negative psychological consequences. Assistance and support may be particularly important for older adults who are socially isolated, frail, physically ill, disabled, or cognitively impaired or who have histories of exposure to extreme and prolonged traumatic stressors.

Informal caregivers, such as family, neighbors, and close friends, are often first on the scene following a disaster and can be instrumental in providing emotional support and securing shelter, medical care, food, and water. During times of crisis, social support systems are critical to the well-being of older adults. Several studies have found that anticipated or perceived support (the belief that significant others care and will provide assistance if required), rather than the actual receipt of assistance, following a disaster is associated with better psychological outcomes. In addition, the degree of social embeddedness (the size, closeness, and activity level of the person's social network) is also directly related to mental health functioning. Unfortunately, these socially protective resources are particularly vulnerable to disruption and decline following a disaster. Although social support [Page 160]is often mobilized when an older person's life or health is threatened by a natural disaster, assistance is less available when property is damaged or destroyed, electricity and/or telephone communication is lost, and daily routines are disrupted. Members of an older adult's social support network may themselves be survivors of the same disaster. Social network members may be relocated, injured, or unable to assist because their immediate needs exceed their current resources. Compounding the situation, disruption and destruction of community services can diminish the availability of formal sources of social support such as senior center activities and meals on wheels. As a result of the need for support and services by the population at large, demand may surpass existing resources, leaving traditional networks unable to provide much needed support to older adults.

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