In the event of a disaster, there is a general and deep lying impact on the fabric of the community that is affected. This includes the practices, rituals and beliefs of the community all which define the spiritual life of that particular community. These spiritual aspects have a significant meaning on life and are the foundation on which the psychosocial modes of a community are built. In such events of a disaster, people do react differently even within this spiritual perspective (Bryant-Davis & Wong, 2013). Some people will feel as though the meaning of their spiritual beliefs has been lost and may wonder why the event occurred on them even within their firm belief in divine protection. These are those people who will be overwhelmed and will ultimately face traumatic stress and depression following the disaster (O'brien, 2013). However, there are others who will find strength and energy in the occurrence of the disaster and these groups tend to feel more connected and alive with all reference to the divine protection. They do not act as though they have lost; rather they concede that they have significantly gained a closer relationship to their divine protector (Bryant-Davis & Wong, 2013).
In these instances, the community health nurse has a role to unite these different feelings and attitudes and bring a common ground that can propel the community in coping with the post-disaster era. A key component in this regard is to strengthen and empower the local religious leadership to help in the reestablishment of the faith practices and beliefs of the community (Bryant-Davis & Wong, 2013). They have to be empowered both materially and emotionally to help reconcile the negative attitudes towards life and spirituality that occurs post-disaster. The community health nurse has to facilitate the community through its religious leadership so that they can gradually take up the normal responses to birth, life transitions and deaths in a manner that reflects their religious beliefs (O'brien, 2013). The community health nurse should continually make sure that there are spaces such as camps, observances and housing areas that the affected community can seek spiritual guidance which in all essence should be combined with the physiological health needs of these groups if they do arise (Bryant-Davis & Wong, 2013).
References
Bryant-Davis, T., & Wong, E. C. (2013). Faith to move mountains: Religious coping, spirituality, and interpersonal trauma recovery. American Psychologist, 68(8), 675.
O'brien, M. E. (2013). Spirituality in nursing. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
