Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

"I Saved The Iguana": A Mixed Methods Study Examining Responder Mental Health After Major Disasters And Humanitarian Relief Events, Suzanne Marie Boswell

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was twofold. The first was to use Hobfoll’s (1989) Conservation of Resources theory to predict psychological stress based on responders’ perceptions of resource adequacy. The second was to use qualitative interviewing to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the disaster/humanitarian responder experience.

The study is significant given the expanding role of nurses within disaster/humanitarian response organizations. Furthermore, psychological stress results in increased turnover of human resources in these organizations. This turnover is detrimental to humanitarian systems that already lack adequate coverage and sufficiency because funding and human/material resources grow at a slower pace …

When The Diagnosis Is Disaster: Ethics And Human Rights, Susan Speraw

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

The quality of disaster response is impacted by the quality of training and education of professionals. In contemporary society, where disaster frequency is increasing, and threats such as avian flu hold the potential to impact the wolrd irrespective of borders, responders need to be trainined not only in the mechanics of safety, triage and treatment, but also working among people who hold customs and traditions very different from our own. This presentation examines the following questions: What is essential content in disaster education? At what level of practice should such education ideally occur? Of special emphasis are issues related to …