Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Community Collaboration as a Disaster Mental Health Competency: A Systematic Literature Review

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Community Mental Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Disasters impact the mental health of entire communities through destruction and physical displacement. There is growing recognition of the need for disaster mental health competencies. Professional organizations such as the AAFP and the ASPH recommend engaging with communities in equal partnership for their recovery. This systematic study was undertaken for the purpose of reviewing published disaster medicine competencies to determine if core competencies included community cooperation and collaboration. A search of Internet databases was conducted using major keywords “disaster” and “competencies”. Articles eligible contained laundry lists of basic core competency curriculum beyond emergency response. Data were qualitatively analyzed to identify types of competencies, and the degree of community cooperation. A total of 12 studies were reviewed. Only one study listed competencies specifying community cooperation, although others refer indirectly to it. Findings suggest competency-based education programs could do more to educate future disaster health professionals about the importance of community collaboration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abramson, D., Stehling-Ariza, T., Garfield, R., & Redlener, I. (2008). Prevalence and predictors of mental health distress post-Katrina: Findings from the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2(2), 77–86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Altevogt, B. M., Stroud, C., Hanson, S. L., & Hanfling, D. (2009). Guidance for establishing crisis standards of care for use in disaster situations a letter report. National Academies Press. Retrieved from, http://www.nap.edu/download.php?record_id=12749.

  • American Academy of Family Physicians. (2009). AAFP recommended curriculum guidelines for family medicine residents, Reprint No. 290, disaster medicine. Retrieved from, http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/about/rap/curriculum/disastermed.Par.0001.File.tmp/Reprint290.pdf.

  • Archer, F., & Seynaeve, G. (2004). International guidelines and standards for education and training to reduce the consequences of events that may threaten the health status of a community A report of an open International WADEM meeting Brussels. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 22(2), 120–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Association of Schools of Public Health. (2012). Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) for the public health preparedness and response core competency model.

  • Beaton, R. D., Murphy, S. A, Houston, J. B., Reyes, G., Bramwell, S., McDaniel, M., et al. (2009). The role of public health in mental and behavioral health in children and families following disasters. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 15(6), E1–E11. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19823144.

  • Carney, J. K., Schilling, L. M., Frank, S. H., Biddinger, P. D., Bertsch, T. F., Grace, C. J., et al. (2011). Planning and incorporating public health preparedness into the medical curriculum. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41(4), S193–S199. Elsevier. Retrieved from doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2011.05.026.

  • Chan, S. S. S., Chan, W., Cheng, Y., Fung, O. W. M., Lai, T. K. H., Leung, A. W. K., et al. (2010). Development and evaluation of an undergraduate training course for developing international council of nurses disaster nursing competencies in China. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42(4), 405–413.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Culley, J. M. (2010). The role of the medical reserve corps in nursing education. Journal of Nursing Education, 49(12), 708–711.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daily, E., Padjen, P., & Birnbaum, M. (2010). A Review of Competencies Developed for Disaster Healthcare Providers : Limitations of Current Processes and Applicability. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 25(October), 387–395.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Disaster Mental Health Subcommittee of the National Biodefense Science Board. (2008). Disaster mental health recommendations (pp. 1–37). Retrieved from www.phe.gov/Preparedness/legal/boards/nbsb/Documents/nsbs-dmhreport-final.pdf.

  • Emergency Management Australia. (2003). Community development in recovery from disaster.

  • Estioko, M. (2005). Bloom’s taxonomy. Retrieved August 27, 2013, from http://www.csus.edu/indiv/e/estiokom/BloomTaxonomy.pdf.

  • Everly, G. S., Beaton, R. D., Pfefferbaum, B., & Parker, C. L. (2008). Training for disaster response personnel: The development of proposed core competencies in disaster mental health. Public Health Reports, 123(August), 539–542.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, N., Dory, V., Ste-Marie, L.-G., Chaput, M., Charlin, B., & Boucher, A. (2012). Varying conceptions of competence: an analysis of how health sciences educators define competence. Medical Education, 46(4), 357–365. Retrieved August 6, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22429171.

  • Fitzgerald, G. J., Aitken, P., Arbon, P., Archer, F., Cooper, D., Leggat, P., et al. (2010). A national framework for disaster health education in Australia. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 25(1), 4–11.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, B. W. (2007). Meeting the needs of special populations in disasters and emergencies: Making it work in rural areas. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 31(1), 12–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, J. R., Mungroo, R., Ahmad, Y., Wang, M., Rossi, S. D. E., & Horsley, T. (2010). Toward a definition of competency-based education in medicine: a systematic review of published definitions. Medical Teacher, 32, 631–637.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gebbie, K., Merrill, J., Hwang, I., Gupta, M., Btoush, R., & Wagner, M. (2002). Identifying individual competency in emerging areas of practice: an applied approach. Qualitative Health Research, 12(7), 990–999.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, R. L., & Maurer, K. (2011). “You fix my community, you have fixed my life”: the disruption and rebuilding of ontological security in New Orleans. Disasters, 35(1), 143–159.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huntington, M. K., & Gavagan, T. F. (2011). Disaster medicine training in family medicine: A review of the evidence. Family Medicine, 43(1), 13–20. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21213132.

  • Jakeway, C. C., Larosa, G., Cary, A., Schoen, S., & Health, P. (2008). The Role of Public Health Nurses in Emergency Preparedness and Response: A Position Paper of the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing. Public Health Nursing, 25(4), 353–361.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kako, M., & Mitani, S. (2010). A literature review of disaster nursing competencies in Japanese nursing journals. Collegian: Journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia, 17(4), 161–173. Royal College of Nursing Australia. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1322769610000855.

  • Kimura, R., Tamura, K., Inoguchi, M., Hayashi, H., & Urata, Y. (2010). Generalization of victims’ behavior and life reconstruction processes—socio-economic recovery from three earthquake disasters occurred in hyogo prefecture in 1995, niigata prefecture in 2004 and 2007 (in Japanese). Proceedings of the Regional Safety Research Society, 13, 175–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macy, R. D., Behar, L., Paulson, R., Delman, J., Schmid, L., & Smith, S. F. (2004). Community-based, acute posttraumatic stress management: A description and evaluation of a psychosocial-intervention continuum. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 12(4), 217–228. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15371064.

  • Markenson, D., Dimaggio, C., & Redner, I. (2005). Preparing health professions students for terrorism, disaster, and public health emergencies: core competencies. Academic Medicine, 80(6), 517–526.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mcmillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community : A definition and theory. Journal Community Psychology, 14(January), 6–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris, F. H., Stevens, S. P., Pfefferbaum, B., Wyche, K. F., & Pfefferbaum, R. L. (2008). Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 127–150.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, D., Hoeppner, M., Larson, S., Ehrenberg, A., & Leitheiser, A. T. (2008). Lifelong learning for public health practice education: A model curriculum for bioterrorism and emergency readiness. Public Health Reports, 123(S2), 53–64.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pang, S. M. C., Chan, S. S. S., & Cheng, Y. (2009). Pilot training program for developing disaster nursing competencies among undergraduate students in China. Nursing and Health Sciences, 11, 367–373.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Philips, B. (2004). Long term, community based recovery: A participatory holistic approach. In S. Norman (Ed.), New Zealand recovery symposium proceedings (pp. 106–114). Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (NZ).

  • Polivka, B. J., Stanley, S. A. R., Gordon, D., Taulbee, K., Kie, G., & Mccorkle, S. M. (2008). Public health nursing competencies for public health surge events. Public Health Nursing, 25(2), 159–165.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raphael, B. (1986). When disaster strikes: How individuals and communities cope with catastrophe. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satcher, D., Friel, S., & Bell, R. (2007). Natural and Manmade Disasters. JAMA, 298(21), 2540–2542.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Savoia, E., Massin-Short, S. B., Rodday, A. M., Aaron, L. A, Higdon, M. A, & Stoto, M. A. (2009). Public health systems research in emergency preparedness: A review of the literature. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 37(2), 150–156. Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19524394.

  • Schultz, C. H., Koenig, K. L., Whiteside, M., & Murray, R. (2012). Development of national standardized all-hazard disaster core competencies for acute care physicians, nurses, and EMS professionals. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 59(3), 196–208. Elsevier. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2011.09.003.

  • Smith, J., Levy, M. J., Hsu, E. B., & Lee Levy, J. (2012). Disaster curricula in medical education: pilot survey. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 27(5), 492–494. Retrieved October 17, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22985793.

  • Stanley, S. A. R., Bulecza, S., & Gopalani, S. V. (2012). Psychological impact of disasters on communities. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 30(1), 89–123.

  • Subbarao, I., Lyznicki, J. M., Hsu, E. B., Gebbie, K. M., Markenson, D., Barzansky, B., et al. (2008). A consensus-based educational framework and competency set for the discipline of disaster medicine and public health preparedness. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2(1), 57–68. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18388659.

  • Tatsuki, S. (2009). Impact stabilization and event evaluation for life recovery among the 1995 Kobe Earthquake survivors (The 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005 cross-sectional and longitudinal life recovery social survey findings). In International conference in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake.

  • University of Hyogo. (2012). Graduate school of nursing core competencies for disaster nursing (in Japanese). Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www.coe-cnas.jp/group_education/core_competencies_list.html.

  • Walsh, L., Subbarao, I., Gebbie, K., Schor, K. W., Lyznicki, J., Strauss-riggs, K., et al. (2012). Core competencies for disaster medicine and public health. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 6(1), 44–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J., Nocera, M., & Casteel, C. (2008). The effectiveness of disaster training for health care workers: A systematic review. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 52(3), 211–222, 222.e1–222.e2. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18069087.

  • Wizemann, T., Reeve, M., & Altevogt, B. (2013). Engaging the public in critical disaster planning and decision making. Washington: National Academies Press.

  • Yeager, V. A., Menachemi, N., McCormick, L. C., & Ginter, P. M. (2010). The nature of the public health emergency preparedness literature 2000–2008: A quantitative analysis. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 16(5), 441–449; LWW.

  • Young, B. H., Ruzek, J. I., Wong, M., Salzer, M. S., & Naturale, A. J. (2006). Disaster mental health training: guidelines, considerations, and recommendations. In E. C. Ritchie, P. J. Watson, & M. J. Friedman (Eds.), Interventions following mass violence and disasters: Strategies for mental health practice (pp. 54–79). New York: Guilford Publications.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Asada Takashi, Dept. of Psychiatry, U of Tsukuba.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan

    Adam Jon Lebowitz

Authors
  1. Adam Jon Lebowitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adam Jon Lebowitz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lebowitz, A.J. Community Collaboration as a Disaster Mental Health Competency: A Systematic Literature Review. Community Ment Health J 51, 125–131 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-014-9751-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-014-9751-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation