Although research has been conducted on the short-term effects of natural and human-made disasters on individuals and families, few researchers have examined the experiences of families during the recovery and rebuilding process when stressors may continue on many levels, sometimes for years later. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of recovery for families during the 3-year period following Superstorm Sandy in 2012 through the theoretical lens of Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological perspective. A narrative approach was used in order to understand the experience of natural disaster recovery and the meaning of recovery and coping for these families. Families in the surrounding area of Long Beach, New York were invited to participate. Six families who experienced Superstorm Sandy shared their experiences through interviews. Common themes were found among participants during the preparation for the storm, throughout the storm, and again during identified stages in the recovery process. Participants displayed both positive and negative coping styles and rated the helpfulness of various interventions. Findings from the study suggest that future researchers should focus on understanding the individual factors that may affect the decision to prepare for and evacuate during a large-scale natural disaster. The results of this study can be used by support services staff to develop and target interventions that address the common themes identified during the long-term recovery process. More effective interventions may lessen the length and intensity of suffering. Additionally, highlighting the importance of disaster preparedness may encourage individuals and communities to better prepare for disasters, possibly diminishing damage and losses.

Inoculation is a robust theory applied to a variety of health behaviors. Social marketing is designed to change behavior by applying marketing tactics in the context of social change. This study combines inoculation theory with social marketing in the context of substance abuse disorders to promote long-term recovery. This is a pilot project that specifically focuses on the Beacon House, a residential recovery treatment center in Louisville, Kentucky. With the growing drug problem in America, it is necessary to implement effective recovery strategies in treatment programs. The social marketing plan focuses on the target audience to outline potential barriers, motivators, and competition to remaining in long-term recovery. Three intervention strategies were developed as part of the project: a core inoculation message, booster messages, and refusal skills training. These strategies utilize inoculation messages in various ways to address the complexity of long-term recovery. While this study focuses on the Beacon House treatment facility, the concepts can be applied to similar treatment centers.

Both smoking addiction and illicit substance abuse are prevalent issues in the United States today. Furthermore, these are issues that have significant impact on women’s health and mental state. Despite research that shows that smoking cessation coupled with substance abuse recovery can decrease likelihood of relapse post-recovery, few substance abuse recovery facilities today offer smoking cessation programming options. To address the issue of smoking addiction on top of substance abuse recovery, formative research was conducted through this study to determine the underlying causes of smoking habits coupled with recovery efforts and the attitudes. Through focus group sessions with women in a residential treatment facility in the southeastern US, a determination of the specific audience’s motivations to smoke and perceived self-efficacy to quit smoking was made. Based on the findings of this formative research, a full social marketing plan was then developed to offer an intervention program option for smoking cessation among a target audience of women undergoing residential treatment for substance abuse. The study conducted and the social marketing developed from it proposes a pilot program that may be implemented in other similar settings with similar populations in the future.

Background Major road traffic crashes (RTCs) can have a significant impact on the survivors, their family, and their friends, as well as on emergency personnel, volunteers, and others involved. However, survivors’ perspectives are rare or missing in research on major RTCs in Sweden. A comprehensive understanding of the survivors and their experiences is also lacking. By studying what it is like to survive a major RTC, the care and support provided to survivors can be adapted and improved. The overall aim is to broaden the understanding of the short- and long-term consequences and experiences of surviving a major bus crash. Methods The contexts are two bus crashes that occurred in Sweden, in February 2007 and December 2014. In total, the participants are 110 out of the 112 survivors, and the data is collected through telephone interviews, official reports, and medical records at one month, three months, and five years after the crashes. Analysis methods include qualitative content analysis, descriptive statistics, thematic analysis, and mixed methods research analysis. Results One month after the crash, most of the survivors were experiencing minor or major physical and/or psychological stress in their everyday lives (Study I). Four main findings were identified regarding their experiences of immediate care (Study II): prehospital discomfort, lack of compassionate care, dissatisfaction with crisis support, and satisfactory initial care and support. The importance of compassion and being close to others was also highlighted. Five years after the bus crash in Rasbo (Study III), survivors were still struggling with physical injuries and mental problems. Other long-term consequences were a lasting sense of connectedness among fellow passengers, a gratitude for life, as well as feelings of distress in traffic, especially in regard to buses. The main findings from study IV indicated that injury severity did not seem to affect mental health, and that social aspects were important to the recovery process. There was an interconnection among survivors in which they seemed to be linked to each other’s recovery. Conclusion A strong need for short- and long-term social and psychological support in terms of compassion and community is evident in all the studies. The survivors ought to be acknowledged as capable and having the resources to contribute to their own and their fellow survivors’ recovery and health. There is a need for greater understanding of how different the survivors are, with each one of them having various physical, psychological, social, and existential needs. / Bakgrund Stora trafikskadehändelser kan ha en betydande inverkan på de överlevande och deras närståendes liv, likaså på sjukvårdspersonal, vittnen, och andra som är involverade. Trots detta så är de överlevandes perspektiv sällsynta eller saknas i forskning om stora trafikskadehändelser i Sverige. Det saknas även en helhetsförståelse av överlevande och deras erfarenheter. Genom att studera hur det är att överleva en busskrasch kan omhändertagande och stöd anpassas och förbättras. Det övergripande syftet är att öka förståelsen av kort- och långsiktiga konsekvenser och erfarenheter av att överleva en stor busskrasch. Metod Kontexten är två busskrascher som inträffade i februari 2007 och december 2014 i Sverige. Antal deltagare är 110 av 112 överlevande och data samlades in en månad, tre månader och fem år efter krascherna, via telefonintervjuer, officiella rapporter och medicinska journaler. Analysmetoder inkluderar kvalitativ innehållsanalys, deskriptiv statistik, tematisk analys och mixad metod. Resultat En månad efter kraschen upplevde överlevande fysiskt obehag och/eller psykisk stress i varierande grad i sin vardag (Studie I). Gällande upplevelser av det initiala omhändertagandet (Studie II) identifierades fyra huvudresultat; obehag på skadeplats, brister i omhändertagande och bemötande, missnöje med krisstöd, och tillfredsställande initialt omhändertagande och stöd. Betydelsen av empati och medkänsla från personal och frivilliga samt samhörighet med medpassagerare lyftes fram av de överlevande. Fem år efter busskraschen i Rasbo (Studie III) fanns det överlevande som fortfarande kämpade med fysiska skador och psykiska problem. Andra tydliga långsiktiga konsekvenser var en bestående gemenskap mellan medpassagerare, en tacksamhet över livet, samt oro och rädsla i trafiken, speciellt vid bussåkande. Uppföljningen efter busskraschen i Tranemo (Studie IV) indikerade att sociala aspekter var betydelsefulla för återhämtningsprocessen hos överlevande och att skadornas svårighetsgrad inte var betydande för det psykiska välbefinnandet. En stark samhörighet upplevdes bland de närstående som reste tillsammans och de verkade följa varandras återhämtning. Slutsatser Ett starkt behov av kort- och långsiktigt socialt och psykologiskt stöd i form av gemenskap och empati är tydligt i samtliga studier. De överlevande bör uppmärksammas som aktörer med kapacitet och resurser till att bidra till sin egen och medpassagerares återhämtning och hälsa. Det behövs en ökad förståelse för hur olika de överlevande är, med varierande fysiska, psykologiska, sociala, och existentiella behov.

No description available.