Assessment of the Self Esteem, Communal Mastery and (PDF)

Assessment of the Self Esteem, Communal Mastery and Disaster Preparedness among People Residing Near to Selected Factory Jomcy P Jose1, Prasanth PV2, Isha M Aboobacker2 1Senior Lecturer, 2Assistant Professor, MOSC College of Nursing, Kolenchery ABSTRACT A disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. 1 Disaster preparedness can prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. Disaster preparedness reduces the feelings and helps communities and families know where to take refuge and how to care for basic medical issues2. It can also help alleviate some of the devastation by reducing the impact of a disaster. It has been reported that communities which are well prepared to meet disasters will have better chances of mitigation.4 Disasters can happen anytime and anywhere, so it is important to be prepared before disaster strikes. This study focused on identifying whether the public is mentally and physically prepared to face a disaster Keywords: Disaster, environmental losses, devastation Corresponding author : Prashanth PV, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, M.O.S.C Medical College,Kolenchery Email: [email protected], Mob:9400331801 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A study was done to examine whether self-esteem and sense of mastery influence preparedness behaviour. Data were collected from 300 people each of flood prone and heat wave affected areas in Orissa. Results revealed that when the confounding effects of age and family type were controlled, people having high self-esteem and sense of mastery were more prepared for flood and heat wave3. The results confirm the assumptions of ‘resource conservation’ theory that the important psychological resources like sense of mastery and self-esteem facilitate disaster preparedness. Hence, government officials and agencies responsible for community preparedness may take additional effort to enhance self-esteem and mastery of the people.5 MATERIALS AND METHOD A quantitative approach was used to assess the Self esteem, Individual mastery and Disaster preparedness among 60 households purposively selected in Ernakulam. Self esteem, Individual mastery and Disaster preparedness were measured using Global self-esteem scale. (Rosenberg’s (1989), Individual Mastery Scale( Pearlin and Schooler’s (1978)5 and Diaster Preparedness Questions (Alberni-Clayoquot regional district ) respectively. Socio-demographic characteristics were determined by a structured questionnaire. Self esteem, Individual mastery and Disaster preparedness scores were computed by frequency, percentage, mean, median, range and standard deviation. FINDINGS Results showed that the mean score of subjects in disaster preparedness questions were 1.85 (Total score 17) and the subject had very little scores on disaster preparedness. In the global self esteem scale the mean score was 27.01(Total Score 40), the subjects had a good self esteem. The mastery scale the mean score is 19.03(Total Score 28) and indicated a higher level of mastery. Although the subjects scores where very high in global self esteem and individual mastery scale they had poor disaster preparedness. DOI Number: 10.5958/2320-8651.2019.00011.5  62 International Journal of Nursing Care, January-June 2019, Vol. 7, No. 1 DISCUSSION/CONCLUSON Disaster preparedness can prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. Disaster preparedness reduces the feelings and helps communities and families know where to take refuge and how to care for basic medical issues. It can also help alleviate some of the devastation by reducing the impact of a disaster. It has been reported that communities which are well prepared to meet disasters will have better chances of mitigation. Disasters can happen anytime and anywhere, so it is important to be prepared before disaster strikes. This study focused on identifying if the public were mentally and physically prepared to face a disaster Source of Support: Nil Ethical Clearance: Waiver of IEC obtained from IEC M.O.S.C Medical College Hospital Conflict of Interest: None declared REFERENCE 1. Barton, Allen H. Communities in Disaster: A Sociological Analysis of Collective Stress Situations, Doubleday, 1st edition 1969, ASIN: B0006BVVOW 2. Susanna M. Hoffman, Susanna M. & Anthony Oliver-Smith, authors & editors. Catastrophe and Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster, School of American Research Press, 1st edition 2002, ISBN 978-1930618152 3. Bankoff, Greg, Georg Frerks, Dorothea Hilhorst. Mapping Vulnerability: Disasters, Development and People, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 978-18538396 4. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/aviation-tank- explosion-in-cochin-refineries-one-of-the-worst-in- indian-oil-industry/1/360592.html 5. M. Sasmita , S Suar, P Douglas .Self-esteem and Sense of Mastery Influencing Disaster Preparedness Behaviour. The Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies ISSN: 1174-4707 Volume : 2011-1