The Impact of the 2021 Fire in the Municipality of Ancient Olympia in Greece on the Mental Health of Residents: The Occurrence of Post-Traumatic Stress and Depression in Beneficiaries of Social Services

Manolis Nikolaos Mentis; Eleni Mavroeidi; Konstantina Bousia; Konstantinos Mavroyiannis; Theodoros Tsokos; Georgia Konstantopoulou

doi:10.21467/ajss.13.1.1-9

Authors

Manolis Nikolaos Mentis Department of Education and Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Patras
Eleni Mavroeidi Department of Education and Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Patras
Konstantina Bousia Department of Education and Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Patras
Konstantinos Mavroyiannis Department of Education and Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Patras
Theodoros Tsokos Department of Education and Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Patras
Georgia Konstantopoulou Department of Education and Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Patras https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3677-3307

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21467/ajss.13.1.1-9

Abstract

A natural disaster is the probability of a potentially catastrophic event occurring over a period of time in a specific geographical area. The aim of this research was to investigate whether the catastrophic fire of 2021 affected the mental health, in terms of post-traumatic stress and depression, of the social care services beneficiaries in the Municipality of Ancient Olympia in Greece. A questionnaire was used which, apart from demographic questions, contained two main tools: a) the PCL Scale (a tool for assessing post-traumatic stress), b) the Geriatric Depression Scale. The individuals with post-traumatic stress in the sample are in the range of moderate to high PTSD symptomatology. The majority of the participants are in the range of moderate PTSD symptomatology, but there is also a significant percentage who are in the range of high PTSD symptomatology. In terms of geriatric depression, the individuals in the sample are close to the mean. This article was written to serve as reference for the PTSD that can be directly caused by natural disasters.

Keywords:

Fire, Mental Health, PTSD

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