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Psychological needs of emergency responders and disaster victims critical, urges DHS Fellow

 (Sept. 27, 2006)

    From the Oklahoma City bombing to September 11, 2001, and more recently, Hurricane Katrina, ordinary Americans have made extraordinary efforts involving disaster response and recovery. Responding to events, as a professional or as a volunteer, can be psychologically taxing if people are ill-equipped for disaster-related trauma.

    As a PhD candidate in clinical psychology at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (PGSP), Zeno Franco (2003 DHS Fellow - at left) examines disaster response along two different, but interrelated tracks – the treatment of psychological mass casualty situations and the improvement of joint military-civilian coalition response in disaster management.

    Zeno states that disaster response emphasizes technology and engineering, but should also value the human element. "Katrina showed that we still have a lot to learn about large response efforts,” he says. “In reality, when telephone lines are down and networks are off-line, we have one thing, and one thing alone that can make the difference between success and failure of a recovery effort -- and that is human behavior."

    Through PGSP and the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) at the Palo Alto Veteran's Hospital, Zeno is training as a clinical psychologist in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He will be able to address PTSD symptoms that individuals may experience due to disasters.

    Preparing emergency responders for the pre- and post-event psychological effects of disasters is vital. Also important is their aiding the psychological needs of disaster victims -- a component of all-hazards preparedness. “Individuals exposed to disaster events can suffer from chronic depression and feelings of dissociation, hypervigilance, or nightmares,” says Zeno. Increased substance abuse, difficulties returning to work, irritability in the family, or difficulty with intimacy are additional symptoms.

     Despite these negative after-effects, Zeno notes research on individual resiliency in the face of disasters. “Growing evidence shows that people can quickly return to normal  levels of function. From a homeland security perspective, this is an important. If we can enhance individual and community resilience, the impact of terror attacks or major disasters can be greatly reduced."

     Though recovery is his core area of study, Zeno notes that the psychological roots of disasters, particularly intentional ones, need more examination. A basis for this is his travel to China and Cuba, as well as interactions with Afghani refuges from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. He has experienced first-hand the psychological impact upon societies due to political unrest, war and disaster.

    "Much has been made of the fact that the 9/11 bombers were not poor, and that many Islamic terrorists are well-educated, yet poverty and a lack of education throughout the Middle East is one of our greatest enemies,” says Zeno. Religious extremism along with socioeconomic hardship can provoke hatred, and potentially terrorism, toward perceived enemies. “Poverty is an engine that fuels hate. We need to not only address terrorists directly, but also remove their support systems. International poverty is a significant national security issue."  

    Earlier this month, Zeno and his research team at PGSP published "Psychology of Terrorism," (at left) a textbook available through Oxford University Press, and has an article in press with the American Psychologist, entitled, "The Dirty Dozen: Twelve Key Failures of the Hurricane Katrina Response, and How Psychology can Help." Since 2005, he has aided the development of three manuscripts and done four presentations on disaster response, team-building and post-trauma intervention. Zeno looks to graduate from PGSP in 2009.