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An International Perspective on Disasters and Children's Mental Health pp 253–269Cite as

Use of Geographic Information Systems in Trauma Research

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Part of the book series: Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care ((IPPC))

Abstract

The applications of geographic information systems (GIS) allow for the tracking and prediction of populations, locations, and infrastructure impacted by natural and man-made disasters and/or where emergency response efforts are needed. GIS also facilitates modeling for more successful disaster preparation and the maximization of resources to mitigate the deleterious effect that disasters have on the physical and mental health of the affected population. As it pertains to trauma research and response, especially with children and their families, when disaster strikes, there is no time to waste. Advanced technologies like GIS can inform decisions on where trauma centers are erected, where mental health first responders are stationed, where and how resources are allocated, and what more can be done in the crucial moments that immediately precede and follow the event. Although every scenario cannot be anticipated, models of previous disasters can be applied to potential future sites of terrorist attacks, hurricanes, floods, nuclear power accidents, and the like, so that fortifications can be constructed, plans can be drawn, and mistakes of the past are not repeated. GIS can also aid mental health researchers in the aftermath of disasters by measuring disaster exposure objectively. The level of exposure to disasters such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the movement of nuclear material in the air after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and the location and intensity destruction in war-torn regions, such as Syria and Nigeria, strongly affect physical and mental health outcomes of the population, and can be measured objectively with GIS. These and other examples will be discussed with an emphasis on the mental health of children and their families. Although children might not always have an explicit awareness of all factors involved in a traumatic event, they often shoulder a disproportionate burden of the stress. It is our contention that a more scientific, systematic, and objective approach to measuring direct exposure in future disasters will aid in the decision-making process for interventions and treatment to alleviate some of this burden.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    George J. Musa, William Keating & Brian Brutzman

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  1. George J. Musa
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  2. William Keating
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Correspondence to George J. Musa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Christina W. Hoven

  2. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Lawrence V. Amsel

  3. Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Sam Tyano

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Musa, G.J., Keating, W., Brutzman, B. (2019). Use of Geographic Information Systems in Trauma Research. In: Hoven, C., Amsel, L., Tyano, S. (eds) An International Perspective on Disasters and Children's Mental Health. Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15872-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15872-9_13

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