Double Disaster: Mental Health Of Survivors of Wildfires and Earthquake in a Part of Greece

Abstract

This paper investigates stress related psychological morbidity in individuals who experienced two disasters 11 months apart (wildfire and earthquake) in a rural area of Greece. A sample of 150 participants has been assessed after the wildfires and after the earthquake using the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised. Survivors had elevated levels of psychopathology in all subscales of the SCL-90–R after the earthquake. Significant risk factors for further development of psychopathology were damages to property and complete loss of property from both disasters. Double disasters can cause considerable psychological symptoms in victims and there are reasons for policy makers to create services in order to help and improve the mental health of those affected but also to help them rebuild their property.