About this Research Topic
Over the past two decades, disaster events such as public health emergencies and natural disasters have become more frequent and severe, affecting emotional and mental health. The multidimensional and overlapping social challenges of disaster events that disrupt all aspects of life, coupled with enormous economic and work strain and drastically changing social norms and values, pose unprecedented challenges to mental health. When disaster strikes, in the midst of chaos and fear, we can easily panic and become angry, sad, or depressed. And about one-third or more of those exposed may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other long-term psychiatric disorders. But at the same time, disastrous events also reveal our resilience, and the ability to help ourselves calm down and creatively maximize our relief from pain. Studies have indicated that socioeconomic, lifestyle, and psychosocial support resources may be key factors influencing people's mental health in the context of disaster events.
Analyzing and exploring how the key modifiable factors of psychiatric disorders can be rationally drawn upon and utilized will facilitate the development of specific strategies to further address psychiatric disorders and thereby promote and improve mental health.
The purpose of this study is to invite researchers to focus on disaster events, understand the mental health status of general and severely exposed populations in disaster settings, explore the impact of social factors on disaster-related mental health disorders, focus on the modifiable social factors that sustain and motivate people to work and live happily during disaster events, and explore lessons learned for coping with future disaster events.
We encourage quantitative and qualitative research on the following topics, including but not limited to:
1. Assessing the epidemiological characteristics of psychiatric disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, etc.) during different periods of disaster events.
2. Analyzing co-occurrence pattern of psychiatric disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, etc.).
3. Analyzing how lifestyle and psychosocial support resources (e.g., self-efficacy, psychological resilience, social support, etc.) can help people recover from disasters.
4. The intervention effects of psychological intervention techniques (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy, Eye-Movement Desensitization, and Reprocessing, etc.).
5. Exploring the role of digital mental health interventions in addressing mental disorders and improving mental health inequalities.
Analyzing and exploring how the key modifiable factors of psychiatric disorders can be rationally drawn upon and utilized will facilitate the development of specific strategies to further address psychiatric disorders and thereby promote and improve mental health.
The purpose of this study is to invite researchers to focus on disaster events, understand the mental health status of general and severely exposed populations in disaster settings, explore the impact of social factors on disaster-related mental health disorders, focus on the modifiable social factors that sustain and motivate people to work and live happily during disaster events, and explore lessons learned for coping with future disaster events.
We encourage quantitative and qualitative research on the following topics, including but not limited to:
1. Assessing the epidemiological characteristics of psychiatric disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, etc.) during different periods of disaster events.
2. Analyzing co-occurrence pattern of psychiatric disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, etc.).
3. Analyzing how lifestyle and psychosocial support resources (e.g., self-efficacy, psychological resilience, social support, etc.) can help people recover from disasters.
4. The intervention effects of psychological intervention techniques (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy, Eye-Movement Desensitization, and Reprocessing, etc.).
5. Exploring the role of digital mental health interventions in addressing mental disorders and improving mental health inequalities.
Keywords: Disaster-Related Psychiatric Disorders, Psychological resources, Assessment, Intervention, Policy, and decision making
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
