Risk perception interactions in stress and coping facing extreme risks

Abstract

Natural and technological catastrophes are worrying our societies at all levels (economical, political, social, psychological) because of the disturbances they generate on the populations in a large scale. Natural catastrophes reveal an old reality to which mankind has always been exposed and industrial risks are the consequence of technological development in the present century. Our study will analyse the influence of risk perception on psychological stress in two populations exposed to extreme risk and that have already lived in a catastrophe situation. We propose a theoretical model of the risk perception process and we observe that there is a direct effect of risk perception factors in stress. Interactions between the nature of risk individuals are exposed to and the risk perception in stress and coping strategies prove that risk perception interacts as a mediator in a complex process facing the risk situation responses.

Citation

Lopez Vazquez, E. (2001), "Risk perception interactions in stress and coping facing extreme risks", Environmental Management and Health, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 122-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/09566160110389889