Kaikoura residents gathered for a special open-air church service in the days after the 7.8 quake. Photo / Alan Gibson
Kaikoura residents gathered for a special open-air church service in the days after the 7.8 quake. Photo / Alan Gibson
Many Kiwis affected by the 7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake will need "significant ongoing psychological support" as they deal with emotions of anger, frustration and despair in its aftermath, Prime Minister John Key's chief science adviser says.
Following last month's big quake, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman has updated advice around post-disaster psychosocial effects that his office first issued after the Christchurch Earthquake.
The latest big quake and its aftershocks would also bring widespread effects, "from small, isolated rural communities to the nation's urban capital of Wellington".
With many Wellington workers out of their offices, or having concerns about building safety, "the level of trust in engineering reports and assessments has been eroded to an unknown degree," he said.
While most people will recover from such a disaster, research in the field suggested a large number of people may require assistance for long-term psychological issues.
"It is impossible to be more precise as to how the pattern of emotions will proceed as there are too many externalities that could affect it, and there is much individual variation in resilience," he said.
"However, we can be certain that anger, frustration and despair will be exhibited by a significant percentage of the population at least through the rest of this year and that between 5 and 10 per cent will need significant ongoing psychological support after that date."
People who were affected in the Canterbury earthquakes may experience stress and anxiety again, regardless of where they were living now.
"Similarly in Marlborough, it is likely that issues from the 2013 magnitude 6.5 Seddon earthquake will be reawakened for some, as well as new challenges."
Women - especially mothers of young children - along with children and people with histories of mental illness or poor social adjustment appeared to be more vulnerable than others.
Young children aged one to five could exhibit fear of separation, strangers, "monsters" or animals, withdrawal, or sleep disturbances, while older children, aged between six and 11, might engage in repetitious storytelling or play that re-enacted parts of the disaster, Gluckman said.
"Sleep disturbances, fear of the dark, irritability, aggressive behaviour, angry outbursts, separation anxiety, school avoidance, and general changes in behaviour, mood and personality may appear."
Professor Sir Peter Gluckman. Photo / File
Gluckman laid out four phases of response to the disaster.
First came an initial "heroic and altruistic" phase, in which people helped rather than stopped to count the costs, followed by an optimistic "honeymoon phase" where people could see some help arriving and feel that the situation will improve.
The third was characterised by some disillusionment, as people realise how long recovery would take and become angry and frustrated.
"The length of this phase can vary greatly depending on the individual or local situation and the nature of the ongoing response, affecting how quickly people move through long-term recovery and rehabilitation."
The experience in Canterbury was that the disillusionment phase was extended for the south and east parts of the city for years, whereas the west and north got on with recovery relatively promptly, he said.
In the final phase, people returned to "a new equilibrium", adapting to the changed situation in which they found themselves.
"But these new conditions may fluctuate for a while until a settling point is established and a pattern of everyday life can be resumed," he said.
"We must understand that this is a long-term process with no clear endpoint, in that things can never return to exactly what they were before the disaster."
Gluckman's briefing suggested a psychological sense of empowerment was a key issue for helping people during the recovery period.
"Earthquakes are disempowering events over which individuals have no control, and which may leave them with essentially no control over how they live.
"The need to regain some sense of control over one's life is central to the recovery process."
Managing the psychosocial response could not be separated from managing the restoration of infrastructure, homes and workplaces, Gluckman concluded.
A key point would be to convince people that the focus on physical reconstruction of roads and buildings "is not an end in itself but is designed to allow people to rebuild their lives and livelihoods".
The Ministry of Health has been leading a cross-agency response effort to address mental health concerns and a list of helplines and resources can be found here.
