‘Emotional Preparedness’: a Nuanced Approach to Disaster Readiness among Social Workers

Social work providers are at risk of experiencing lower morale during disasters because of added emotional stressors, yet, dissemination of factors that impact a social worker's ability to manage emotions during disasters is scant. In the disaster literature, no single term adequately encompasses the myriad components of addressing a provider's own emotional needs before disaster strikes. The authors propose how 'emotional preparedness' is different from other disaster-related terms and is a consideration for social work education because not accounting for a provider's emotional concerns that could arise during disasters may lead to higher burnout or increased turnover. This qualitative study addresses a gap by conceptualizing emotional preparedness. Our study sample consisted of (N = 10) US Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) social work leaders, and inpatient social workers across regions of the United States who experienced damaging hurricanes in 2017. Thematic analysis suggests emotional preparedness encompasses: 1) emotional anticipation; 2) being emotionally present on the job; 3) self-efficacy to withstand the disaster; and 4) worries about having to provide additional services outside one's scope of competence. Future research should be conducted to confirm findings.