More research on emotional impact of disasters could help treatment

Research has shown that people who experience natural or man-made crises have an increased risk of developing mental health disorders. A new study says additional research is needed on the mental health impact of disasters to help physicians treat such victims more effectively.

The study, published online Sept. 20 in PLoS Medicine, included input from academics, policymakers and physicians about the key issues on which such research should focus. It looked at how best to tailor research to help health professionals treat the mental health needs of people who survive humanitarian crises such as natural disasters and political violence (link).

There are "massive knowledge gaps" in how to best assist the mental health needs of these people, said lead study author Wietse A. Tol, a postdoctoral associate and lecturer with the Global Health Initiative at the MacMillan Center at Yale University in Connecticut.

"If we had better research that addresses the needs of people on the ground, this would contribute greatly to developing and improving programs," and health professionals would be able to more appropriately care for affected individuals, he said.

In 2009, more than 119 million people were impacted by natural disasters across the globe, the report said. That year, 36 armed conflicts were reported in 26 countries.

The study's authors organized an advisory group of more than 100 international experts who developed 733 research questions on the mental health and psychosocial support of people in humanitarian crises. These were consolidated to 74 questions.

The experts suggested researchers address issues such as:

• What stressors do the victims face?
• What are appropriate methods to assess mental health and psychosocial needs?
• Do existing mental health and psychosocial supports address local needs?
• Which are the most common mental health and psychosocial problems following a crisis?

The research questions "are much more practice-focused than I thought they would be," Tol said. "The real benefit from these types of questions is that they help [experts] develop programs that are based on the concerns of people who have experienced humanitarian crises, rather than on problems researchers assume they have."