title: Quality of life, vulnerability and resilience:  a qualitative study of the tsunami impact  on the affected population of Sri   Lanka.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This qualitative study is aimed at analysing the impact of the 2004 tsunami on the Quality of Life of the Sri Lankan population. It focused on the factors that have contributed to an increase in the people's susceptibility to the impact of hazards - their vulnerability - as well as of the natural ability to cope of the populations affected - their resilience.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is based on the conduction of 10 Focus Group discussions and 18 In-depth Interviews, then analysed through a qualitative analysis software.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysis shows that each factor involved in the interplay among the different processes that produced the changes in the affected people's quality of life is at the same time a damaged asset, a vulnerability factor and a resource to draw upon for coping. The complexity of this situation opens further speculation as to how disasters and relief interventions influence relationships and dynamics in society. This should thus be further investigated, together with the effects of individual and group trauma on society.
authors: Ufficio Relazioni Esterne, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. alice.fauci@iss.it
authors: Alice Josephine
authors: AJ
authors: Fauci
authors: Manila
authors: M
authors: Bonciani
authors: Raniero
authors: R
authors: Guerra
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012066:Relief Work; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012922:Social Change; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D057192:Tsunamis; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology*