Psychological and Emotional Stress in Elderly During Natural Disasters
This paper examines the psychological and emotional stress experienced by older adults during and after natural disasters. Drawing on research from gerontology and disaster mental health, it identifies key vulnerability factors specific to the elderly population, including physical decline, sensory impairment, pre-existing cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, and social isolation. The paper also considers how cumulative life stressors — such as widowhood, financial hardship, and diminished sensory capacity — can compound disaster-related trauma through the Multiple Loss Effect. Transfer trauma, elevated suicide risk, and the role of institutional collaboration in crisis counseling are also discussed. The paper concludes by acknowledging that, despite these vulnerabilities, older adults can demonstrate notable resilience through adaptive coping strategies developed across a lifetime.
- Introduction: Growing elderly population and disaster research focus
- Vulnerability and Anxiety in Older Adults: Isolation and vulnerability heighten disaster-related anxiety
- Physical and Cognitive Risk Factors: Sensory decline and dementia worsen disaster stress
- Cumulative Trauma and the Multiple Loss Effect: Past life stressors compound disaster-related psychological harm
- Transfer Trauma and Suicide Risk: Relocation and suicide risk during disaster events
- Resilience and Adaptive Coping in the Elderly: Prior hardship can build elderly coping capacity
- Conclusion: Vulnerability and resilience coexist in elderly populations
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper systematically identifies distinct vulnerability categories — physical, cognitive, social, and cumulative — giving its argument clear organizational logic.
- It balances a focus on vulnerability with an acknowledgment of resilience, avoiding a one-dimensional portrayal of older adults and strengthening its overall credibility.
- Specific details, such as suicide rates per 100,000 and the collaboration between CMHS and NCOA, ground abstract claims in concrete evidence.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of synthesized literature review: it draws on multiple sources — organizational reports, academic texts, and interview data — to build a layered argument rather than relying on a single study. This technique allows the writer to present a multifaceted picture of an issue and signals awareness of the scholarly conversation around it.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a statistical framing of the growing elderly population to establish relevance, then moves through progressively specific vulnerability categories before pivoting to resilience. The conclusion integrates both sides and cites volunteering behavior as evidence of elderly strength. This funnel-and-balance structure is appropriate for a social science survey essay at the undergraduate level.
Introduction
The effect of natural disasters on the elderly has become a focus of research and concern in the last decade. One of the reasons for this is that the number of older people is increasing both nationally and worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that "200 million of the 355 million people older than 65 years are in the developing world" (Care for the growing number of elderly people in developing countries needs to be addressed). In the United States, the percentage of people aged 65 or older increased from 4 percent in 1900 to approximately 13 percent in the late 1990s. In 1900, only about 3 million Americans had reached age 65; by 1998, that number had grown to approximately 34 million. Population experts estimate that more than 50 million Americans — roughly 17 percent of the population — will be 65 or older by 2020 (Old age).
Studies have focused on the fact that the elderly experience certain identifiable and particular stress factors and vulnerabilities in the face of natural disasters. "We must acknowledge that certain vulnerabilities exist among many elders and that these vulnerabilities are likely to intensify at times of disaster and during the often lengthy recovery process" (Oriol W.). The recognition of older people's vulnerability to disaster is evidenced by the collaboration between the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and the National Council on the Aging (NCOA), which brought an important resource to communities to improve crisis counseling for the elderly (Oriol W.). There is, therefore, a growing body of research that mirrors the concern about the effects of emotional and psychological stress on the elderly during natural disasters.
Bibliography
Butler, R. N., Lewis, M., and Sunderland, T. (1991). Aging and Mental Health: Positive Psychosocial and Biomedical Approaches (4th ed.). New York: Merrill.
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Erickson, E. H. (1959). Identity and the Life Cycle: Selected Papers. New York: International Universities Press.
Javois, L. (1998). U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Mental Health. Interview, February 1998, in Oriol W. Psychosocial Issues for Older Adults in Disasters. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
Lieberman, M. A., & Tobin, S. S. (1988). The Experience of Old Age: Stress, Coping, and Survival. New York: Basic Books. Retrieved September 25, 2006, from Questia database.
Livneh, H., Livneh, C. L., Maron, S., & Kaplan, J. (1996). A multidimensional approach to the study of the structure of coping with stress. Journal of Psychology, 130(5), 501–512. Retrieved September 24, 2006, from Questia database.
Old age. Retrieved September 24, 2006, from
Oriol W. Psychosocial Issues for Older Adults in Disasters. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
Sanders, A. B. (Ed.). (1996). Emergency Care of the Elder Person. Winton, Connecticut: Beverly Publications.
Wisner, B., Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., & Davis, I. (2003). At Risk: Natural Hazards, People's Vulnerability, and Disasters. New York: Routledge. Retrieved September 27, 2006, from Questia database.
World Health Organization. (1995). The World Health Report 1995: Bridging the Gaps. Geneva: WHO.
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