Social workers work from an ecological perspective. They understand that, regardless of origin, all problems are systemic. Applying this lens to the Hudson City case reveals important insights about the different dimensions of a disaster’s effects, as well as the ways that differences among people affect their outcomes, even from a shared experience.
The biological dimension refers to the role of biological systems—be they within our bodies (e.g. genetic predispositions), or outside (e.g. airborne pathogens), upon our health and well-being. Typical reactions to disaster could involve somatic symptoms such as exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions, headaches, stomach aches, and nausea.
The psychological dimension refers to the role of thoughts, emotion, and behavior on individual, group, or community functioning. Inclusion of this dimension also requires us to look at the mind-body connection in the assessment of a variety of common social work phenomena such as the emotional regulation of stress and cultivation of resilience. People exposed to disaster can present with a variety of emotional responses, from emotional numbness and apathy to panic and overt grief. Cognitive reactions to stress may involve difficulty concentrating and memory problems.
Stress: Stress is a normal response to a physical or emotional challenge and occurs when demands are out of balance with resources for coping. Reactions to stress differ and may depend on the severity or duration of the stress, as well as on the individual’s characteristics and previous experiences.
Resilience: Resilience is the ability to respond to and recover from a disaster quickly, effectively and efficiently. Many people will be resilient and will return to pre-incident functioning in a relatively short period of time with no intervention whatsoever. Early intervention reduces risk.
Severe Reactions: Most people experience normal stress reactions which fade and gradually disappear. Some people may find that these reactions persist over a longer period and worsen, resulting in the need for professional help. The three most common disorders are anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You have likely learned about these psychological concerns and social work approaches to assessment and intervention to aid those experiences these struggles. This knowledge and the skills you are building for practice will help you prepare for your involvement with the Hudson City case, as well.
The social dimension refers to how individuals relate to various groups and institutions in society–and how groups and institutions relate to individuals or groups. Our mission to assist not only the client system, but all others who might be similarly affected is one of the things that separates social work from other helping professions. The Social Lens allows us to see the impact of oppression on the ability of people to reach goals,
Look at such bonds of affinity as church or other group memberships as sources of strength and social support, and see clients both as individuals and as likely representatives of others with the same problem.
Social work values compel an anti-racist and anti-oppressive approach to disaster relief—as to all practice. Social workers must ensure that disaster planning and response take into consideration differences among different affected populations and stakeholders in a disaster and surrounding community and historic and current disparities, to chart a path forward to recovery that is more equitable and empowering than the pre-disaster landscape. During assessment, then, the social worker must:
Providing culturally competent services requires actions before, during and after a disaster. Disaster workers must insure that disaster planning and response takes into consideration the following actions:
The spiritual dimension refers to the role of religious or spiritual beliefs on well-being. These reactions might involve questioning one’s faith or spirituality or turning to one’s faith for comfort.