The study focuses on organized activities within communities experiencing disaster. It is initiated by a description of the nature of disaster involvement on the part of various community organizations. A discussion follows of the different meanings of the term 'disaster' and of the social implications created by differential characteristics of disaster agents. It is suggested that the primary disruption of the social structure is revealed in unplanned changes in interorganizational relationships. Four types of organized behavior are isolated, derived from a cross-classification of the nature of the disaster tasks and the post-impact structure. Using these four types, problems of mobilization and recruitment are discussed as well as the specific operational problems these groups experience functioning under disaster conditions. A final chapter deals with the implications of disaster research in dealing with the organizational consequences of a nuclear catastrophe.

Death is a constant in every society, but each of the world's cultures views the end of life differently. This book examines beliefs about dying, burial, and life after death held by peoples of wide ranging societies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that all emergencies, major incidents and disease outbreaks can have substantial mental health consequences, and it has demonstrated the proven need for additional care for populations in the wake of disasters. This book brings together practice and recent developments in pre-hospital emergency care, emergency medicine and major trauma care with the wellbeing, psychosocial and mental health aspects of preparing for and responding to emergencies, incidents, terrorism, disasters, epidemics, and pandemics. Practical suggestions are included for future planning to provide better care for people caught up in emergencies. Setting it apart from other books on emergency preparedness is its specific focus on the psychosocial demands imposed on staff of healthcare and responding services. Featuring expert contributions from a wide variety of disciplines, this book appeals to people working within mental healthcare, emergency care, pre-hospital medicine, Blue Light services, public health, humanitarian care, emergency planning, and disaster management.

"Treatment Approaches in the Human Services" is a new series of books by distinguished social work practitioners and educators, prepared under the general editorship of Francis J. Turner. Its objective is to present both the theoretical basis and the direct practice implications of the various thought systems upon which clinicians draw in their work, and to make this rich accumulation of theory and methods accessible not only to social workers but to practitioners in other helping professions as well. The books are also intended for the student-professional, the senior scholar, and the teacher of professionals, providing a bridging resource between practice and theory development. Each volume in the series analyzes the conceptual base of a particular intervention strategy or set of therapeutic procedures, identifies its theoretical origins, compares it to other thought systems, and explains and describes in concrete detail how it is applied in practice. Further, it identifies the areas of on-going and needed research to make that approach an even more useful tool to the clinician.