Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing

Atasi Mohanty ¹

Affiliations
1 Center for Educational Technology, I.I.T., Kharagpur, IN

Abstract

The present study was an attempt to examine the impact of landslide disaster on the life styles of common people in the hills of Darjeeling district in West Bengal of North-East India where it is a regular feature in rainy season. The primary objectives were to assess the mental health status of landslide victims, the probable causes and after-effects of this disaster. A sample of forty families, twenty victims and their families and twenty non-victims with their family members were taken for an in-depth study. A culture-fair mental health check list developed by Pramod Kumar and observation and interview schedules both prepared by the researcher were administered on the victims as well as non-victim samples. The findings revealed that the victims and non-victims didn't differ significantly so far as the physiological symptoms (like headache, tiredness, disturbed sleep, indigestion and acidity etc.) are concerned. But the victims differed significantly from the non-victims with regard to their psychological symptoms such as anxiety, tension, restlessness, nervousness, loneliness, hopelessness, and anger. The observation and interview analyses of cases showed that the victims were suffering from traumatic stress due to many socio-economic factors like death of close ones and children, loss of home and property, loss of jobs, improper rehabilitation and relief, financial as well as emotional insecurities. The victims were utterly shocked by this trauma and these fearful thoughts were still embedded in their mind for a quite long time. However, in general the mental health status of villagers in this region was not satisfactory and they were in need of proper rehabilitation and counseling. Besides this, the researcher also examined the ischolar_main cause of these frequently occurring landslides in the region and suggested some remedial steps. It has been realized that though it may not be possible to prevent natural disasters, but these can certainly be tackled in a better w

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Sanjeebanee S. Sasmal ¹, Atasi Mohanty ¹

Affiliations
1 Centre for Educational Technology, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, IN

Abstract

The present study primarily focuses on assessing the psychological adjustment of twenty-five (25) neglected school going juveniles selected from an observation home for orphans called “Basundhara” situated in the Cuttack city of Orissa. Primary data were collected from office records, and through interview schedules prepared on the issues related to their families, economic conditions, parental literacy, care and other social factors embedded in their community. The findings show that the unfavorable home environment, poor economic condition, parental illiteracy and the influence of urban life are the major causes of distractions, their lack of interest in studies and poor academic performance. They also exhibit poor memory skills, lack of concentration, and fear of punishment in schools. However, their psychosocial adjustment within the organization and among the inmates and peer groups was found to be satisfactory. Keeping in mind their future livelihood the authors have suggested for certain interventions such as proper rehabilitation, counseling and vocational education for generating future sources of income.

Keywords

Psychosocial Adjustment, Neglected Juveniles, Psychosocial Development, Intervention.

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