Community Mental Health in disaster situations. A review of community-based models of approach

A review of narrative literature is performed, aimed at exploring psychosocial intervention models in disaster situations. The documents reviewed were retrieved from PubMed, SciELO, GoogleScholar, and Medline, correspond to the period 1980-2014, and are written in Spanish, English and French. Web pages of international and government organizations were also searched. Four types of psychosocial interventions in disaster situations were identified: based on time, centered on a specific type of disaster, by spheres or levels of action, and person-centered. This review detected differences and similarities arising from the theoretical conception of disasters and the integral vision of the phenomena. The importance of creating and supporting programs based on community empowerment and participation as the basis for psychosocial intervention is stressed.