Conclusions
This paper outlined four studies which clearly illustrate how psychology can inform our understanding of disasters, and their management. Study One outlined how a common factor, such as pet ownership, can have a major impact on how people respond in a disaster [3]. Pet ownership can lead to people not engaging in evacuation behaviours, which means that they could put themselves at risk of harm. By undertaking psychological research which identifies potential barriers to compliance with emergency instructions, disaster planners may be able to design and implement interventions. The field of psychology, therefore, has a role to play in identifying barriers to preparedness and evaluating any suggested interventions. Psychology can also highlight factors which influence people’s survival chances during a disaster. Study Two examined whether the presence of friends during simulated disaster training can affect individual’s responses. Previous research suggests social support can have a positive impact, reducing stress responses to acutely stressful situations [7]. However, the results of Study Two illustrate that the mediating effects of social support are not straightforward, with participants who had friends on the course reporting higher levels of psychological stress. One explanation is that the presence of friends led to higher levels of social-evaluative pressure [8] and people felt they were being critically evaluated on their performance. Potential solutions include increasing team-building prior to training or offering training to groups of people who do not know each other.
