What predicts psychological resilience after disaster? The role of demographics, resources, and life stress.
A growing body of evidence suggests that most adults exposed to potentially traumatic events are resilient. However, research on the factors that may promote or deter adult resilience has been limited. This study examined patterns of association between resilience and various sociocontextual factors. The authors used data from a random-digit-dial phone survey (N = 2,752) conducted in the New York City area after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Resilience was defined as having 1 or 0 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and as being associated with low levels of depression and substance use. Multivariate analyses indicated that the prevalence of resilience was uniquely predicted by participant gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, level of trauma exposure, income change, social support, frequency of chronic disease, and recent and past life stressors. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.
Bonanno
George A
GA
Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. gab38@columbia.edu.
Galea
Sandro
S
Bucciarelli
Angela
A
Vlahov
David
D
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology