Environmental-community psychology in the study of disasters: The importance of socio-spatial links

Abstract

The psychosocial literature in contexts of socio-natural disasters has mainly focused on the study of the psychological consequences for the people affected, paying less attention to psycho-socioenvironmental factors. In this article, we aim to highlight the relevance of community environmental psychology for analyzing both the subjective aspects of people-place relationships and the community relations of the towns hit by disasters. To do this, we present a conceptual framework community psychology and environmental psychology categories which are relevant for studying what we call socio-spatial links in socio-natural disaster situations. This perspective is illustrated by presenting the results of a study carried out with a mixed methodology, which describes how these links emerge in people who have lived in communities affected by earthquakes, a tsunami, and a volcanic eruption in 4 Chilean towns. Responses to the scales of place attachment, place identity, residential satisfaction, sense of community, and civic participation were analyzed in a non-probability (convenience) sample (n = 628), along with reports of 17 focus groups (n = 117) on the constructed meanings of public space. It is concluded that the articulation of environmental and community psychology broadens our understanding of elements of power and dispute in the territory, while also making psychosocial flaws visible in post-disaster reconstruction solutions.