Citation

Fernando GA, Wilkins A. Int. Rev. Psychiatry 2015; 27(3): 218-232.

Affiliation

California State University , Los Angeles, California , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/09540261.2015.1040375

PMID

26087041

Abstract

Disasters experienced by a community place all members at risk for physical and psychological harm. While natural resilience may help many to recover, there may be barriers that hinder the recovery process. This qualitative study was conducted to examine barriers to recovery in a community impacted by both war and the tsunami. A group of 43 ethnically diverse Sri Lankans (F = 63%) participated in six focus groups and provided their perspectives on barriers they perceived to impede their recovery from traumatic events. Grounded-theory-based data analysis revealed culture-general and culture-specific socio-economic, environmental, sociocultural, and individual barriers that participants identified as impeding their recovery. Interventions and health policies targeting these groups could focus on helping communities to overcome these barriers as a means of facilitating recovery in these beleaguered communities.

Language: en