psychological lmpact of spring nuclear plants disasters

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  • 8/12/2019 Psychological lmpact of Spring Nuclear Plants Disasters

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    T ft A{-ltl.4, f I t- rNovember 201 IVolume 25, lssue 6

    f nternational Society for Traumatic Stress Studies I www.istss.org I [email protected] I +1-847-480-9028IN THIS ISSUE

    President's ColumnMarylne Cloitre, PhDPresident

    As the 2011 year ends, I wish to relay to youactivities which have come about due to and inaccord with the six stratesic qoals to which ISTSShas made a long-term commitment.Among the most important of goals is to have ISTSSbecome and feel like a "professional home" to itsmembers. Accordingly, as a first step, this year theboard has worked hard to conduct a series ofsurveys asking members what they want, like anddislike. Surveys such as these will be sent out eachyear and will contribute critical information todecision-making about future directions regardingcontent at the conference, on the website and in thejournal, what technical innovations we shouldsupport, and how to grow SlGs, committees andmember initiatives. Please complete these surveyswhen you get them and let your opinions and ideasbe known.Complementary to these efforts, three important taskforces were formed this year. The OrganizationalExcellence Task Force will be providingrecommendations in approximately six monthsregarding how best to organize, energize andsupport committees to create stability, supportinnovation and increase the value and benefits ofthe society to members. The Data InfrastructureTask Force has completed its report and hasrecommended several advances, which include anupgrade of our data platform and data analyticcapacities, the development of an easy-to-usesystem for routine survey implementation, and asystem for linking disparate member informationdata sets so that we can get a "wholistic" view ofmember preferences and activities, We thank themembers of this task force for their efforts and inparticular Dawne Vogt who very ably led this group.

    President's Column2011 Annual Meeting: Join us in BaltimorePsychological lmpact of Spring

    Nuclear Plants DisasterWar at Home - Consequences ofWar Trauma on Family LifeTrauma and World LiteratureAddressing the Needs of Families Who Cope

    with Chronic Poverty and TraumaMembers on the MoveSaying Goodbye and HelloKerig Appointed Editor,

    T ra u m atic SfressPornfsAn Overview of Molecular Genetics for

    Traumatic Stress ResearchersMental Health and the UN GeneralAssembly

    On Non-Communicable DiseasesUpcoming Events

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    The Global lnitiative Task Force continues thevery serious work of considering a majorreorganization of ISTSS so that it can function moretruly as an international society and meet itsmission to be a global society. All of the options thatare now being considered involve creating strongpartnerships with international members, affiliatesand societies. A very important Town HallMeeting will be held during the upcomingAnnuafMeeting on Thursday, November 3'd at6:15-7:00 p.m. in Grand | & ll. All members areinvited to attend to voice their opinions.This is my last column as ISTSS President. I amtaking this opportunity to thank the membershipwho placed their confidence in me as president. Wehave accomplished quite a lot this year particularlyin regards to creating and acting on a new vision forour society. lt is an incremental process but thesteps are discernable and the footing is solid. I givemy best wishes and support to Eve Carlson, whowill be president inthe 2012 year. Best wishes ^r\rsrs)))

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    Psychological lmpact of Spring Nuclear Plants isastersschoo/*r,7:; lZi3,;tii,';,blll,,* cottese

    Three Mile lsland, Pennsylvania (16 March 1979)Chernobyl, Ukraine (26 April 1986)Fukushima, Japan (11 March 2011)Radio-nuclear disasters (RND) can evoke feelings of horror, helplessness, hopelessness and a sense ofloss of control over one's own life. The uniqueness of any radioactive incident is that its impact is orientedto the future and is associated with health concerns related to the delayed consequences of the radiationexposure. The analysis of past RND, such as Hiroshima and the Spring Nuclear Plants Disasters , allowsus to better understand their immediate and longterm psychological impact. Preparedness andcommunity education will assure adequate and timely response and support.From 1987 to 1993, I assisted survivors of the Chernobyl disaster. I was responsible for organizing thedirect care to the affected communities as well as trainings for teachers, psychologists and medicalprofessionals. During that time, I noticed remarkable similarities between survivors' reactions and themesfollowing the Chernobyl disaster to those observed in other RND incidents. Here I describe some of thesimilarities I noted:

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    The RND have mulfi-system and multi-levelimpact. The recognition of the complex medical, social,economic and political consequences of RND is important for better understanding of psychologicalresponses.The mpact of RND extends to the future. The survivors' worries about their own health are in addition tofears about the health of their progenies: the presence of radioactive agents will likely continue affecting theecology and health for future generations (EPA, March 2011).The development of conspiracy theories, mythology, and magic thinking reflect the inherent need to makesense of the senseless catastrophe bygiving the experience a special meaning, and creating a sense ofpredictability. For example, in Chernobyl, there is a persistent idea that the explosion (Chernobyl istranslated from Belarusian as Wormwood) has been predicted in the Book of Revelation as a sign of the endof the world (The King James Bible, Revelation 8:10, 11, p. 306).The common initial delay or minimization in disclosing the incident by the authorities often leads toinformational wars and fosters drsfrusf of the authorities and the publc information they provide. Rumors andmisinformation quickly fill the information gap and can be very damaging and undermining for the recoveryefforts.Radiation can spread and penetrate through air or walls leaving survivors with no perceved place ofsafety. lf they flee, they often face stigmatization and discrimination. ln Japan, Hibakusha (from theJapanese word explosion-affected people ) were often refused employment. lt was difficult for Hibakushawomen or men to get married, as many feared they would give birth to deformed children (Terkel, 1984).The Chernobyl survivors, who also reported employment discrimination, were nicknamed Fireflies, due tothe belief that they glowed in the dark. On many occasions I was told about the parents not allowing theirchildren to be friends or even to share the school desk with Chernobyl children because of the radiationcontagiousness ; and that the marriages with Chernobyl survivors are strongly discouraged out of fear forbirth defects in children.A sense of foreshortening future is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety and hopelessness. SvetlanaAlexievich (2005), a Belarusian investigative journalist, reported that a liquidator (firefighters who werecalled to extinguish the fires) stated, ln Afghanistan I knew that when I return- I'll live. ln Chernobyl it's theopposite- when I return- I'll die... (p.41) . ln the Chernobyl area, where many survivors believed in theimminent death within several years, I met teenagers having a hard time understanding why they have to goto school, or to clean their room: lf I won't live past 16 years old, why bother?

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    RND continued on page 4

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    Fa* 4 $tnesEP*intsRND continued from page 3

    c Lingering medicat concerns are tied to an astounding /ack of consisfenf dafa about the long{erm healtheffects of smalldoses of radiation (Health Effects Radiation Protection, 2011). The prevalence ofpsychosomatic or medical conditions exacerbated by extreme and prolonged stress still remains unclear.Hyper-vigilance to physical health and interpretation of any physical discomfort as radiation sickness keepsreviving the paralyzing feeling of impending doom.o The survivors identify the main sources of their resilience as culture, spirituality, humor, references to thepast survival experiences (Belarus and Ukraine badly suffered during WWll), and quick return to the liferoutines, Chernobyl survivors have crafted jokes where they make fun of radiation-caused mutations: Adouble-headed eagle, which is a part of Russian national emblem, did not escape this dark humor.Understanding commonalities across RND responses is important for developing recommendations tominimize the psychological impact if a similar incident occurs in the future.

    The RND preparedness and the response plan need to be comprehensive, systemic, and multidisciplinary,and executed and managed in a coordinated and collaborative way.It's important that the official information provided about disaster is accurate, timely and balanced. This helpsto prevent panic, and eliminate rumors and misinformation.It's essential to encourage survivors to get back to their life routines as quickly as possible, or to establishnew routines and rituals in the places of relocation,ln case of forced relocation, it is unclear if the relocated survivors benefit more from compact or dispersedresettlement, but in either case the communities need extensive psychological support and education.The health concerns should not be blankly disregarded. The primary care workers must be trained to screenthe psychosomatic conditions in order to make appropriate referrals.The aid must be based on the multi-system needs assessment. ln Chernobyl there were instances whenorphanages received oranges as humanitarian aid, while the children were lacking basic clean foods andformula leading to the public outrage, which left the impression of a public relations stunt.The aid has to be planned to attain both the immediate and long-term needs. There is no expectation thatthe trauma counselors will be able to stay in the area long enough. Consequently, the sustainability andreliance on local infrastructure, trainings and supports of local cadres bears great importance. This includespublic, professional education, and training for community members. The community education also isneeded in places of relocation to make the communities ready for the resettlement of evacuees from thecontaminated areas.

    Author's Note; tfeet privileged to have worked with my Belarusian colleagues fo assrsf the survivors ofChernobyl drsasfer.ReferencesAlexievich, S. (2005). Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of the Nuclear Disaster. Dalkey Archive Press.Baum, 4,, Gatchel, R.J., & Schaeffer, M.A. (1983) Emotional, behavioral, and physiological effects of stress at ThreeMile lsland. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 565'572'Chernobyt: the true scate of the accident. 20 Years Later a UN Report Provides Definitive Answers and Ways toRepair Lives. (2005). WHO/IAEA/UNDP. Geneva. Retrieved from

    http ://www,who. i nVmed iacentre/news/releases/2005/p138/en/i ndex. htm IHealth Effects. Radiation Protection. (March 2011). US EPA, Retrieved fromhttp://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/health_effects.html otherlongtermFackler, M. (2011). Radiation Fears and Distrust Push Thousands from Homes. New York Times, March 17,2011.Retrieved from http://www. nvtimes.com/20 1 1 /03/1 8/world/asia/1 Sdisplaced.htm IThe Bible: Authorized King James Version (2008). Revelation 8:10, 11 Oxford University Press, USALifton, R. (1967). Death in /fe. New York: Random House.Terkel, S. (1984). The Good War. New York: Random House.The Chernobyl Catastrophe - Consequences on Human Health. Greenpeace. (2006). Retrieved fromhttp://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-

    2l reporll 2006/4/chernobyl h ealthreport. pdf .Yablokov, 4., Nesterenko, V., Nesterenko, A, (2010).Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People andthe Environmenf. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. John Wiley and Sons. NY. ,ttt)

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