Disaster Stressors and Coping with the Traumatization of Deadliest Hurricane in U.S

Abstract

Background: Despite the surging research in the literature on major natural hazards globally, most research to date has been cross-sectional in nature. Also, few studies have addressed human strengths. In response to the call for longitudinal studies, this secondary analysis of a two-wave survey examined the effects of character strengths, optimism, and altruism on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (H-KR) volunteers, after controlling for the damage of hazard-related factors and negative coping strategies.

Method: A survey was conducted at three months (Wave-1) and six months (Wave-2) after H-KR at five public universities in the Gulf Coast affected by the disaster using standardized instruments. Multiple regression analyses were used to test our hypotheses.

Results: A total of 743 participants completed Wave-1 and Wave 2 surveys, 542 and 201 respectively.

Conclusions: Multivariate analysis revealed that the finding is consistent with a cross-sectional study on Hurricanes Maria and Michael (H-MM); both events are the deadliest storms in the United States (U.S.) However, this prospective study facilitates the causal conclusion on a counteracting effect of trait optimism against traumatization of major natural hazards. Also, the positive link between altruism and PTSS in the current study replicated the same outcome in the H-MM report. However, this relationship became non-significant, a finding that implies the importance of longitudinal research after storms.

Keywords: Keywords: Posttraumatic stress symptoms and disorders, Character strengths, optimism, and altruism, Hurricane stressors, Peritraumatic positive and negative emotions, Negative coping strategies, Natural hazards.