Psychosocial aspects in socioenvironmental disasters of geoclimatic origin: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Among the many crossings that permeate the conjuncture of a disaster, the psychosocial aspects deserve highlighting, because they include the cultural, social, structural, psychic, health, and symbolic issues. The aim of this review is to present how these aspects have been explored in the scientific
literature in the last 20 years (1997-2016) by authors and journals from South American countries, in contexts of socioenvironmental disaster of geoclimatic origin. A bibliographic survey was conducted in the electronic databases Capes, SciELO, Latindex, and Virtual Health Library Portal. Taking into account the inclusion and exclusion criteria adopted in this review, 52 publications constituted the final sample. The survey revealed the predominance of ‘mental health’, ‘psychosocial and health impacts’, ‘public health’
and ‘risk management’ themes. The results showed evidence of social inequality as a potentiating factor of disasters and the inefficiency of public policies in Brazil in reducing disaster risks. Also, they revealed the predominance of studies that associate psychosocial support with interventions restricted to the field of mental health. As an opposite case, the article presents the construction of Chilean identity and public policies due to the earthquakes that occurred in the country.