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Disaster research methods: past progress and future directions.

Fran H Norris1

  • 1National Center for PTSD and Dartmouth Medical School, USA. fran.norris@dartmouth.edu

Journal of Traumatic Stress
|April 14, 2006
PubMed
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This review of 225 disaster studies found common methodological flaws, including convenience sampling and small sample sizes. While some study characteristics are improving, a focus on fundamental epidemiologic research is crucial for understanding disaster impacts.

Area of Science:

  • Disaster research
  • Epidemiology
  • Social sciences

Background:

  • A significant body of research exists on the impacts of disasters.
  • Methodological approaches in disaster studies have varied widely.
  • Understanding trends in disaster research methodology is essential for advancing the field.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically code and analyze methodological variables, severity of effects, and event years across 225 published disaster studies.
  • To identify trends in study designs, sampling methods, and sample characteristics over time.
  • To assess the prevalence of desirable versus undesirable research practices in disaster impact studies.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review and coding of 225 published disaster studies.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of methodological variables including study design, sampling techniques, and sample size.
  • Examination of trends in study characteristics and their association with reported effect severity.

    • Main Results:

    • Cross-sectional, after-only designs, convenience sampling, and small sample sizes were the most common methods.
    • Studies with pre-disaster assessments, convenience samples, or large samples reported less severe effects.
    • While developing countries are no longer underrepresented, desirable characteristics like longitudinal designs and representative samples are decreasing.
    • Early first assessments and certain advanced statistical models are increasing.

    Conclusions:

    • The field of disaster research exhibits methodological inconsistencies, with a reliance on less rigorous designs.
    • While some trends indicate progress (e.g., earlier assessments), a decline in robust methodologies like longitudinal and representative sampling is concerning.
    • Advancements in statistical modeling are noted, but foundational epidemiologic principles require greater attention for accurate disaster impact assessment.