Research to practice: a disaster behavioral health framework

Abstract

Purpose

Research and experience following a variety of recent disasters has fostered the development of a range of disaster behavioral health interventions that can be used post‐disaster. Consensus documents recommend that five guiding principles be used to inform intervention efforts. These five essential elements, a sense of safety, calming, efficacy, connectedness, and hope, appear critical to the fostering of adaptation and resilience in affected communities. This paper aims to examine the use of these principles in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Translating these five evidence‐informed principles into practice requires dissemination, delivery and prioritizing and validation of the elements. Scholars identify actions for dissemination, delivery, and prioritization and validation, and this paper expands on the literature to identify processes that actualize the research into a framework for practice.

Findings

This article describes how disaster behavioral health professionals in Colorado have advanced these five principles into practice.

Originality/value

While literature clearly dictates the importance of addressing the impacts of extreme stress on individuals and communities, there remains a gap to explain how to bridge the research and practice. These strategies included in this paper begin to bridge this gap and can be used by others charged with disaster planning and response to inform their practices.

Citation

Gunderson, J., Crepeau‐Hobson, F. and Drennen, C. (2012), "Research to practice: a disaster behavioral health framework", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 21 No. 5, pp. 572-583. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561211278707