Disaster Preparedness and Cultural Factors: a Comparative Study in Romania and Malta

Overview

Journal Disasters

Date 2020 Mar 5

PMID 32129915

Citations 4

Authors

Sandra Appleby-Arnold

Noellie Brockdorff

Ivana Jakovljev

Suncica Zdravkovic

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This exploratory study investigates the relationships between the disaster preparedness of citizens and cultural factors in Romania and Malta. With regard to methodology, quantitative and qualitative data were collected during two Citizen Summits, which consisted of a real-time survey and focus group discussions. The results point to two specific cultural factors that may bridge this 'gap' and be operationalised to enhance people's readiness for a disaster event. In Malta, the findings reveal how community cohesion is altered from a personal to a cultural value, which has the potential to encourage the transformation of preparedness intentions into actual preparedness behaviour. In Romania, meanwhile, the findings highlight the ambivalent aspects of trusting behaviour as a cultural norm on the one hand, and distrust in authorities based on experience and unmet expectations on the other hand. Social media use may reduce this tension between trust and distrust, and thus foster successful disaster risk-related communication.

Citing Articles

The Role of Trust in Disaster Risk Reduction: A Critical Review.

Bonfanti R, Oberti B, Ravazzoli E, Rinaldi A, Ruggieri S, Schimmenti A Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024; 21(1).

PMID: 38248494 PMC: 10815059. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21010029.

Investigating the effectiveness of protection motivation theory in predicting behaviors relating to natural disasters, in the households of southern Iran.

Faryabi R, Davarani F, Daneshi S, Patrick Moran D Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1201195.

PMID: 37744489 PMC: 10513462. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1201195.

The viewpoints of residents of Kerman, Iran regarding the challenges and barriers of preparing households against earthquakes: A theory-guided qualitative content analysis.

Davarani E, Farahmandnia H, Khanjani N, Nekoei-Moghadam M Front Public Health. 2022; 10:1036311.

PMID: 36504991 PMC: 9730698. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1036311.

Understanding Societal Resilience-Cross-Sectional Study in Eight Countries.

Bodas M, Peleg K, Stolero N, Adini B Front Public Health. 2022; 10:883281.

PMID: 35433604 PMC: 9010723. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.883281.

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