Preparation and Rehabilitation of mental state of people living in disaster areas on the fault zone in Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

This research aimed to study the impact of a disaster on people living in the disaster area on the fault zone in Chiang Rai Province, investigate the preparation and response of people living in the disaster area on the fault zone in Chiang Rai Province, and assess the mental state and rehabilitation guidelines for living after the disaster. The research areas involved four districts: Mae Lao, Phan, Mae Suai, and Muang District, Chiang Rai Province. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to collect the data. The research was divided into three phases. Phase 1 was the qualitative research method in which in-depth interviews and focus groups were used to collect the data from 100 and 322 informants, respectively, selected with the purposive sampling method. Phase 2 was the quantitative research in which the questionnaire was used with 400 samples. Phase 3 was the quasi-experimental research in which a mental state rehabilitation program for users with post-traumatic stress was used with 333 samples selected with the voluntary selection method.

Findings demonstrated that the earthquake on the fault zone in Chiang Rai Province affected people's mental states, such as stress, insomnia, and panic, which might develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, there were impacts on materials, such as damage to properties, houses, and constructions. Moreover, the analysis results indicated that the preparation and response were moderate: the average was 3.31. Additionally, the evaluation results of mental state obtained from the mental state evaluation form showed that the overall score of the sample group indicated moderate mental suffering. When comparing the mental state of the sample group before and after the dreadful incident, it was different with a statistical significance of 0.01.