Title: Psychological vulnerability as an integral component of comprehensive vulnerability assessment: informing policy and practice in disaster risk reduction

Authors: Jigar Jogia; Gayan Wedawatta

Addresses: Psychology Department, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, P.O. Box 19282, United Arab Emirates ' Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, UK

Abstract: Science can be utilised to mitigate risk and vulnerability throughout the disaster management cycle. The risk of a disaster depends not only on the hazard but also on the psychological, social and environmental vulnerability of exposed communities. Through a review of existing knowledge on evidence-based methods for assessing vulnerability in communities, it was found that psychological vulnerability is seldom considered in such assessments. We argue that psychological aspects play a key role in how people and communities perceive and respond to disaster events. Building infrastructure to assess vulnerability in a comprehensive manner is essential to inform policy and practice in disaster risk reduction. Better understanding of these complex relationships and the role of psychological vulnerability in reducing risk and building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters requires interdisciplinary approaches cutting across fields such as science, psychology, health, environment, economics, engineering and technology.

Keywords: risk reduction; resilience; disaster management; engineering and environment; psychological impacts; disaster management mental health; vulnerability; assessment; socio-economic.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWOE.2019.105797

International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 2019 Vol.10 No.3, pp.232 - 245

Received: 03 Nov 2018
Accepted: 17 Jun 2019
Published online: 13 Mar 2020 *

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