Meaning making by public leaders in times of crisis : An assessment

Public leaders are expected to provide information on a crisis situation and present a plan to restore a state of normalcy. This study, based on interviews with Dutch mayors who were personally involved in crises between 1979 and 2014, assesses the various roles of public leaders’ meaning making. A total of 94 case studies were analyzed for this purpose. Responsibility and collective impact turn out to be closely intertwined phenomena, which influence the

modus operandi

A multilayered psychosocial resilience framework and its implications for community-focused crisis management

The focus of this contribution is on the psychosocial well-being, health, and functioning of communities in the context of major crises. A multilayered psychosocial resilience framework is described, conceptualizing and connecting capacities at individual, community, and society levels. Effective crisis management is strengthening and utilizing these capacities. The community as a resilient, functioning social system depends, almost by definition, on collaboration among government, business, and civil society.

The association between disaster vulnerability and post-disaster psychosocial service delivery across Europe

This study confirms that the developmental stage of post-disaster psychosocial support planning and

delivery systems in Europe is associated with countries’ level of disaster vulnerability. Lower

vulnerability is accompanied by more evolved planning and delivery systems. Countries in north, west

and central regions have more developed planning and delivery systems and lower vulnerability levels

than those in the south, southeast and east. The highest proportion of variance in vulnerability is

Psychosocial crisis management : The unexplored intersection of crisis leadership and post-disaster psychosocial support

Abstract

Epidemiological research has documented the serious health issues that can affect the victims of disasters and major crises. Yet, the psychosocial dimension of crisis has received little attention in crisis management literature. This paper integrates psychosocial principles with a model of strategic crisis management.

2016 : a year of records

Happy New Year to our readers around the world – some of them it just started, for others it will soon begin – from the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) and the team at Taylor and Francis. According to Johan Norberg (here), a popular Swedish author, historian and expert in economic globalization, our progress has been unprecedented.

Invisble wounds : the impact of six years of war on the mental health of Syria’s children

For the past six years, children in Syria have been bombed and starved. They have seen their friends and families die before their eyes or buried under the rubble of their homes. They have watched their schools and hospitals destroyed, been denied food, medicine and vital aid, and been torn apart from their families and friends as they flee the fighting. Every year that the war goes on plumbs new,  previously unimaginable depths of violence against children, and violations of international law by all sides.

Prolonged grief, depression, and posttraumatic stress in disaster-bereaved individuals : Latent class analysis

Background Hundreds of individuals lost one or more significant others in the MH17 plane crash in 2014 in Ukraine. The current study is the first to explore subgroups of disaster-bereaved individuals based on presence of psychopathology clusters. This may inform the development of diagnostic instruments and tailored interventions.

Systematic Review on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Survivors of the Wenchuan Earthquake

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) widely occurs among victims or witness of disasters. With flashbacks, hyperarousal, and avoidance being the typical symptoms, PTSD became a focus of psychological research. The earthquake in Wenchuan, China, on May 12, 2008, was without precedent in magnitude and aftermath and caused huge damage, which drew scientists’ attention to mental health of the survivors.

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