Risk Factors for Suicidal Behaviours after Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Natural disasters have multiple psychological effects including increased risk of suicide among victims. Reviews have shown that suicidal behaviours can be an aftermath of natural disasters. The present study attempted to identify the suicide-related risk factors after natural disasters. This study was a systematic review probing English language articles related to suicide and its risk factors after natural disasters and published between 1 January 1990 and 27 September 2018 in Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, ProQuest and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. After reviewing and screening the collected studies by means of specific criteria, only 30 studies were qualified to enter the survey. It was found that most of these studies had investigated suicide after earthquake. Gender, age, serious mental disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loss of family members, low economic status, low social support, and injury to the person and the family/relatives were identified as the most important risk factors for suicide after natural disasters. Women, adolescents, elderly, people with depression and PTSD, those suffer from low social support and parentless people were found to be among the ones being highly vulnerable to suicide after natural disasters. There is, therefore, a need for providing psychosocial support for these people after such disasters.

Changes Over Time in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Among Children Who Survived the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake and Predictive Variables

“…In this study, the objective trauma characteristics of the loss of family members and being buried were significant predictors of PTSD severity, and they explained a significant 21.9% of the variance. These findings were in accord with those of previous studies, which demonstrated that children with more severe exposure to the traumatic event had more PTSD symptoms ( 24 , 25 ). The loss of family members affects the emotional attachment system in children.…”

Long-term observation of mortality among inpatients evacuated from psychiatric hospitals in Fukushima prefecture following the Fukushima nuclear disaster

“…A second important limitation is that censoring might underestimate the effects of some psychiatric disorders on mortality. Recent reports identified specific psychiatric diseases or symptoms as important risk factors for suicide after natural disasters 33 . Moreover, it is also important to consider that old age is one of the risk factors for post-disaster suicide 33 .…”

“…Recent reports identified specific psychiatric diseases or symptoms as important risk factors for suicide after natural disasters 33 . Moreover, it is also important to consider that old age is one of the risk factors for post-disaster suicide 33 . The target population in this study included patients who had achieved community transitions and might have become somewhat independent from medical practitioners.…”

How Much Emotionally Intelligent AI Can Be?

“…Natural disasters have many psychological effects, including an increased risk of suicide among victims. Therefore, there is a need to provide psychosocial support to these people [35]. AI should have an emotional intelligence component to effectively reduce public anxiety and motivate people to take corrective or preventive actions.…”