Social capital for disaster risk reduction and management with empirical evidences from Sundarbans of India

Blackmon

Journal Community Psychology

et al. 2018

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among posttraumatic growth (PTG), loneliness, depression, psychological resilience, and social capital among survivors of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The survey was administered to a spatially stratified, random sample of households in the three coastal counties of Mississippi. A total of 216 participants were included in this study who lived in close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico coastline during both disasters. Results from structural equation modeling analyses indicated that there was a significant and inverse relationship between PTG and loneliness. Conversely, a direct relationship was not found between PTG and depressive symptoms; instead, the results revealed an indirect relationship between PTG and depressive symptoms through loneliness. Social capital was related to loneliness only indirectly through PTG, while psychological resilience was related to loneliness both directly and indirectly through PTG. Understanding the relationships among these factors, particularly the importance of PTG, can provide insight into the long-term adaptation among those who have survived multiple disasters. Further, these findings may lead to nuanced methods for behavioral health practitioners in assessing and treating individuals with symptoms of depression in disaster-prone communities.

Section: Social Capital Ptg Loneliness and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of posttraumatic growth, loneliness, depression, resilience, and social capital among survivors of Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Blackmon

Journal Community Psychology

et al. 2018

“…It is apparent in the discussion above that social capital is the main bulwark against household vulnerability among the less affluent in the studied villages. Much in line with established theory [86,87]. The insight that this social capital is largely embedded in traditional institutions points towards the importance of maintaining them, or at least of not dismantling them before viable alternatives are on their way.…”

Section: Modernity Development and Disaster Riskmentioning

confidence: 68%

Dark Side of Development: Modernity, Disaster Risk and Sustainable Livelihoods in Two Coastal Communities in Fiji

Becker

2017

Sustainability

Abstract:The world is changing rapidly, as are the remotest rural communities. Modernity is spreading across the world under the guise of development and it is transforming disaster risk. This raises issues concerning how disaster risk is changing in such milieus. Using a sustainable livelihood approach, this article investigates access to different types of capital that central to the vulnerability of two coastal communities in Fiji that are affected by modernity to different extents. This comparative case study is based on semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observation. The results indicate that modernity transforms access to and use of key capitals (natural, physical, financial, human, and social capital) on both community and household levels, increasing dependence on external resources that are unequally distributed, while undermining social cohesion and support. Although disaster risk might be of a similar magnitude across the board at the community level, modernity transforms vulnerability significantly and skews the distribution of disaster risk, to the detriment of the households left behind by development.

Climate Change and Global Warming

“…Social networks at the local level are vital for community resilience and recovery from disasters [50][51][52]. Often, community resilience is a foremost response to disaster impacts [53] and also acts as informal insurance after disasters [54]. For small islands like Tuvalu, where almost everyone knows their neighbours (relatives and friends) and people on their islands, local social networks and communities are central to disaster response and recovery efforts.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Disaster Risk and Resilience in Small Island States

Taupo¹

2019

This paper surveys the conceptual framework of disaster risk that relies on its associated components of hazard, vulnerability and exposure. How we measure these risks depends on how we define disaster risk and its components. We focus on the implication and applicability of available conceptual frameworks of disaster risk on small and low-lying islands in the Pacific. We examine some of the available measurements of these disaster risks as they are imperative to the formulation of appropriate disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies for Tuvalu. Though there are diverse views on these definitions in different disciplines, we can capitalise on their commonalities to frame disaster risk models. Here, we intend to use the findings and set a pathway for potential research and to contribute into building resilience, reducing DRR and improving responsiveness to the impact of climatic disasters in Pacific Islands.