A study on the mechanisms of non-adaptive psychological emotional contagion and evacuation behavior in chemical parks

Abstract

In recent years, the ongoing expansion and advancement of chemical parks have led to a significant increase in the frequency of chemical accidents, which pose a substantial threat to both public safety and property. However, the majority of casualties are not caused directly by the accidents themselves, but rather by extreme behaviors triggered by non-adaptive psychological responses during the evacuation process. Consequently, this study examines the influence of maladaptive psychological emotional contagion on the emergency evacuation processes within chemical parks. Initially, the mechanisms underlying emotional contagion caused by maladaptive psychological responses during evacuation are analyzed. A system dynamics model of pedestrian emotional contagion is constructed using the SEIR (Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered) framework, which quantitatively assesses the influence of various factors on the emotional contagion process while exploring the dynamic behavior of emotional contagion within a crowd. The study reveals that increased environmental familiarity with the results in a reduction in the intensity of emotional contagion; as the severity of the disaster spread, the pace of emotional contagion accelerates, and contagion between pedestrians intensifies; furthermore, as the intervention of emergency personnel increases, the number of Recovered significantly rises, though the growth rate eventually diminishes. Additionally, early intervention proves effective in mitigating emotional contagion; however, as the intensity of the intervention rises, its efficacy diminishes. By simulating a real chemical park evacuation scenario, the study demonstrates that moderate panic can enhance evacuation efficiency, while confirming the trend of environmental familiarity in real-world scenarios. This paper offers theoretical insights into the evolutionary mechanisms of maladaptive psychological emotional contagion, while providing guidance for the formulation of effective evacuation strategies.