Psychological influences and implications for household disaster preparedness: A systematic review

Ni Minrui ¹ Xinru Wang ² Yixuan Wei ³ Xiaofei Han ⁴ Yiqiao Liu ⁴ Liang Xia ^1* Song Pan ⁵

• ¹ The University of Nottingham Ningbo (China), Ningbo, China
• ² Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, China
• ³ University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
• ⁴ University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• ⁵ Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

Disaster preparedness is crucial for addressing the escalating threats posed by natural disasters to individuals, especially household preparedness. Despite the significant investments and activities conducted by disaster mitigation agencies and the government, the levels of household preparedness are modest. Understanding psychological drivers affecting the implementation of household preparedness measures helps distinguish families fully prepared for disasters from those not, thereby improving disaster education. Psychological drivers may promote, hinder, or have no impact on household preparedness. This review fills a significant gap by systematically categorizing psychological factors influencing household disaster preparedness, an area that remains underexplored in previous literature. This review categorized psychological factors into four aspects based on the influencing mechanisms: cognitive appraisal, motivation and intention, social interaction, and bonds with the living environment. The review revealed that regarding cognitive appraisal, risk perception generally promotes household preparedness. Hazard intrusiveness, perceived efficacy, and perceived response efficacy encourage preparedness. Regarding motivation and intention, self-efficacy and perceived benefits boost preparedness, and the transfer of responsibility regulates the influence of trust on household preparedness. Regarding social interaction, formal support, and community resilience promotes preparedness, whereas informal support and social norms may impede it. Regarding bonds with the living environment, place attachment promotes housing protection but hinders relocation. Sense of place hinders permanent evacuation or relocation. Based on these insights, disaster prevention, and management should emphasize the responsibility of individuals and families in reducing disaster risks, clarify the consequences and probabilities of disasters, refine social norm indicators, and foster a sense of place in resettlement areas to improve effective household preparedness. This review provides recommendations for developing more effective psychological interventions and coping mechanisms.