Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract
The aim of this dissertation was to study Finnish reactions to an incident at a nuclear power plant. The situation was studied as a threat where the basic problem is the definition of the situation as dangerous or non-dangerous. Theoretically the problem was approached from several viewpoints. Stress theory was a general theoretical framework for the study. The threat was studied as an experience shattering basic assumptions and the feeling of invulnerability. On the other hand research on risk perception was reviewed and the heuristics that are usual in risk perception.Reactions to danger and to warning can be studied as a decision making situation demanding the subject to define the situation and to choose the best alternative to act. Decision making theories were reviewed starting from rational decision making theory through the concepts of naturalistic decision making and situation awareness to the importance of social cognition and schemas in interpreting new information and new experiences. This study was connected to trauma psychological research tradition by studying a nuclear accident as a potential disaster and traumatic event. Trauma psychological research in general was reviewed and then a closer look was given to research studies on the psychological consequences of nuclear accidents. The empirical part of the dissertation consists of a survey study sample of six hundred participants from four Finnish towns (Helsinki, Kotka, Varkaus and Hämeenlinna) collected after an incident at the nuclear power plant in Sosnovyi Bor, Russia in 1992. The hypothesis was that subjects from towns located closer to the power plant would define the situation as more dangerous and to be more worried of it than subjects in towns further away from the power plant. Information delivery was expected to affect the definition of the situation. Also, I wanted to study if commitment to an activity would be related to less willingness to start protective activities after hearing of the incident. The hypothesis on the importance of geographical distance on the definition of the situation was confirmed. Information source was found to be an important factor affecting the definition of the situation. Information on the incident at the power plant was received mainly through two channels: mass media or the subject's own social network. These results confirmed an earlier finding showing that uncertainty about the situation in nuclear accidents leads to a definition of the situation as more dangerous than it is in reality as compared to an opposite definition in other types of accidents. Mass media were trusted as information source, but the importance of interaction with own social network was also confirmed. A usual reaction to the first information was to seek more information on the incident. The respondents did not differ from each other psychologically in comparisons between groups defining the situation as dangerous vs. non-dangerous. The difference in definitions was based on risk perception made because of the geographical distance and not e.g. because of personality factors. The incident in Sosnovyi Bor was taken seriously, but it did not cause any long-term stress in the subjects. An important result was that perception of information delivery as unclear was related to the level of stress. Advance information on nuclear accidents and preparation for them did not increase stress. The subjects who had prepared for nuclear accidents felt less stress than others in spite of their perception of high risk of a nuclear accident.
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