Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Natural disasters have a widespread and enduring impact and are associated with a variety of negative consequences for individuals and families. The extensive impact of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, pose a significant threat to the physical and psychological well-being of those experiencing loss of resources associated with the disaster. Protective factors, such as religious social support and helping behaviors, have been shown to guard against negative outcomes of extreme traumatic stressors. However, existing theories, such as the Conservation of Resources Theory, suggest that individuals will attempt to conserve resources to avoid further losses, reducing the likelihood of helping behavior as a potential benefit to enhancing mental health outcomes. The current study examined the moderating effects of religious social support and helping behaviors following loss of resources resulting from exposure to Hurricane Katrina on negative outcomes such as psychological symptoms and alcohol use. The of 485 students from two University of Southern Mississippi campuses who were affected by Hurricane Katrina (77% female and 23% male; 62% Caucasian, 36% African-American, 2% other; mean age = 22.15 years). It was predicted that religious social support and helping others would moderate the relationship between loss of resources and negative outcomes, including PTSD, depression, and alcohol use. Results revealed the importance of resource loss in mental health outcomes as well as differences between African-Americans and whites in the impact of resource loss, religious social support, and helping behavior on negative outcomes.

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