Detecting psychopathological reactions to natural disaster: a methodological note

Two opposing views in a controversy were examined in this paper. In the psychiatric literature it is argues that natural disasters can cause severe negative psychological reactions in victims. However, in literature generated by sociologists and psychologists, it is purported that natural disasters do not produce adverse reactions. It is argued that the apparent empirical stalemate is probably a function of methodological difficulties, and the contradictory findings are explained on the basis of different measurement strategies and problems of study design.