What Predicts Psychological Resilience After Disaster? The Role of Demographics, Resources, and Life Stress

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology Vol. 75; no. 5; pp. 671 - 682
• Main Authors: Bonanno, George A, Galea, Sandro, Bucciarelli, Angela, Vlahov, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-10-2007
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Age; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical psychology; Demographic Characteristics; Demographics; Depression (Psychology); Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Disasters; Diseases; Emotional Trauma; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Surveys; Human; Humans; Incidence; Income; Intervention; Life Change Events; Male; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; New York; New York City; Personality Traits; Personality. Affectivity; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Psychological processes; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Race; Resilience; Resilience (Psychological); September 11 Terrorist Attacks - psychology; Sex; Social Support; Social Support Groups; Sociocultural Patterns; Socioeconomic Factors; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Studies; Substance Abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Telephone Surveys; Terrorism; Traumatic life events; New York; United States; North America; America; New York City; United States > US; New York City New York; trauma; social support; resources; ethnicity; resilience; Social environment; Human; Education level; Terrorism; Mental health; Sex; Disaster; Exposure; Economic status; Ethnic group; Stress; Resilience; Mail inquiry; Sociodemographic factor; Predictive factor; Age; Public health; Social support
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.5.671

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.