Effects of optimism on recovery and mental health after a tornado outbreak

Abstract

Objective Dispositional optimism, a stable expectation that good things will happen, has been shown to improve health outcomes in a wide range of contexts, but very little research has explored the impact of optimism on post-disaster health and well-being. Design Data for this study come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public health systems and mental health community recovery (PHSMHCR) Survey. Participants included 3216 individuals living in counties affected by the April 2011 tornado outbreak in Mississippi and Alabama. Main outcome measures This study assesses the effect of dispositional optimism on post-disaster recovery and mental health. Results Dispositional optimism was found to have a positive effect on personal recovery and mental health after the disaster. Furthermore, it moderated the relationship between level of home damage and personal recovery as well as the relationship between home damage and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with stronger effects for those with increased levels of home damage. Conclusions The utility of screening for optimism is discussed, along with the potential for interventions to increase optimism as a means of mitigating adverse mental health effects and improving the recovery of individuals affected by disasters and other traumatic events.

Belonging and Inclusivity Make a Resilient Future for All: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Post-Flood Social Capital in a Diverse Australian Rural Community

“…Less optimistic members of the general community were more likely to show signs of post-flood distress and PTSD. This concurs with previous post-disaster research showing optimism reduces the likelihood of developing PTSD, suggesting a possible pathway to improve recovery and prevent adverse mental health impact [ 64 ]. General community members with a sense of belonging were also less likely to indicate long-term distress.…”

“…Instead, they tend to look for benefits in adversity and employ more effective coping strategies than pessimists, making them more resilient to stressful events [ 63 ]. This is relevant to coping with a flood: optimism moderates the relationship between the level of household damage in a disaster and personal recovery [ 64 ]. Optimists’ persistence in overcoming personal obstacles has also been attributed to their ability to forge bridging relationships across demographic and socio-economic divides [ 63 ].…”

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Psychological Interventions in Promoting Preparedness to Armed Conflicts – A Randomized Controlled Study

“…Although not statistically significant, the proposal to focus risk communication campaigns on messages of empowerment and optimism, stemming from the third intervention group, seem to have merit. 29 Our study suggests a possible trend toward the effectiveness of such intervention, yet calls for further studies to substantiate the capacity of such intervention in promoting public readiness.…”

The Influence of Tornado Activity, Impact, Memory, and Sentiment on Tornado Perception Accuracy among College Students

“…Destructive tornado outbreaks often cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lasting negative memories, especially among children and adolescents [1][2][3]. PTSD and other traumatic symptoms after tornadoes can be mitigated by narrative construction from sensory data [4] and dispositional optimism in the aftermath [5]. Despite attempts at mitigating the psychological impacts of destructive tornadoes, these memories and past experiences with impacts or near impacts linger in the minds of those affected when making safety decisions about tornadoes.…”