Resilience and Disaster Research: Definitions, Measurement, and Future Directions

Scientific paper - Review paper

• Title (croatian): Otpornost i istraživanje katastrofa: Definicije, mjerenje i preporuke za buduća istraživanja
• Author: Helena Bakić
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of Psychology)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: SOCIAL SCIENCES; Psychology

Abstract (english)

Disasters pose a significant threat to the long-term well-being of individuals, communities and societies. Therefore, studying resilience, defined as the process of maintaining and recovering psychological well-being after adversity, is crucial for disaster preparedness and mitigation. The aims of this paper are to summarize the historical context of resilience research, present the key concepts, discuss current measurement approaches and propose future research directions. Key determinants of resilience - risk, positive adaptation and resources - are discussed with the focus on studies of adults affected by disasters. This narrative review demonstrates that research up to date has focused mostly on finding the individual characteristics that predict the absence of psychopathology or mental health disorder symptoms, while other types of resources or dynamic relations between key aspects of resilience have been neglected. Future studies should aim to include multiple measurement points, high- and low-risk groups, long-term follow-up and broader perspectives on both psychological well-being and potential resources.

Abstract (croatian)

Katastrofe predstavljaju značajnu prijetnju dugoročnom blagostanju pojedinaca, zajednice i društava. Stoga je proučavanje otpornosti, koja se definira kao proces održavanja i oporavka psihološkog blagostanja nakon nedaća, ključno za pripremu i ublažavanje posljedica katastrofa. Ciljevi su ovoga rada sažeti povijesni kontekst istraživanja otpornosti, opisati ključne koncepte, raspraviti sadašnje mjerne pristupe i predložiti buduće smjerove istraživanja. Ključne odrednice otpornosti – rizik, pozitivna prilagodba i resursi – opisani su s naglaskom na studije odraslih pogođenih katastrofama. Ovaj pregledni rad pokazuje da su dosadašnja istraživanja uglavnom bila usmjerena na pronalaženje individualnih osobina koje predviđaju odsutnost psihopatologije ili simptoma poremećaja mentalnog zdravlja, dok su druge vrste resursa ili dinamični odnosi između ključnih odrednica otpornosti zanemareni. Buduća bi se istraživanja trebala usmjeriti na uključivanje više mjernih točaka, uzoraka izloženih visokom i niskom riziku, dugoročno praćenje te obuhvatniji pogled na psihološku dobrobit i potencijalne resurse.

• Keywords (english): resilience; disasters; positive adaptation; resources
• Keywords (croatian): otpornost; katastrofe; pozitivna prilagodba; resursi
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Review paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Psihologijske teme
• Numbering: vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 529-547
• p-ISSN: 1332-0742
• e-ISSN: 1849-0395
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.31820/pt.28.3.4
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:721380
• Publication: 2019
• Document URL: https://hrcak.srce.hr/230040
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2020-01-15 11:14:52