Effects of May floods on the mental health of residents in the city of Banja Luka

Abstract

This study endeavours to explain how did the floods affect people’s mental health, apropos, and is there difference between the population that was flooded in terms of expressing distress and experiencing some psychological problems. We wanted to know are there gender differences in terms of distress expression.
The study was performed on a sample of 155 respondents, of whom 78 of them were affected by floods and 77 were not affected with this natural disaster.Date was obtained throughGeneral Health Questionaire-GHQ and one list which contains different psychological problems created by the autors for this particular study.
The obtained data show that distress is more common with the people affected by the flood. Regarding gender differences, distress is more expressed amongst women.The data shows bigger psychophysical hardship between respondents involved in the flood and some of them are tension : increased tension in periods of higher periods, headaches, panic attacks, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, digression of interest in everyday life. Given results show greater presence psychophysical problems amongst female gender.