Understanding Older Adults' Resilience During the Brisbane Floods: Social Capital, Life Experience, and Optimism

The purpose of this study was to explore how social capital or the impact of life and previous disaster experience facilitated resilience in older adults who experienced the 2011 and 2013 floods in Brisbane, Australia. Data were drawn from in-depth interviews of 10 older adults from Brisbane who wer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disaster medicine and public health preparedness 2017-02, Vol.11 (1), p.72-79
Main Authors: Brockie, Lauren, Miller, Evonne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Australia
Censuses
Community Networks
Disaster management
Disaster recovery
Disaster studies
Disaster Victims - psychology
Disasters
Earthquakes
Emergency preparedness
Female
Floods
Humans
Hurricanes
Life Change Events
Local communities
Male
Natural disasters
Older people
Optimism - psychology
Public health
Qualitative Research
Resilience, Psychological
Social Capital
Theory
Tsunamis
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to explore how social capital or the impact of life and previous disaster experience facilitated resilience in older adults who experienced the 2011 and 2013 floods in Brisbane, Australia. Data were drawn from in-depth interviews of 10 older adults from Brisbane who were evacuated in both the 2011 and 2013 floods. A combined qualitative approach drawing from the methods of constructivist grounded theory and narrative inquiry was applied and the data were analyzed by using (inductive) line-by-line and axial coding. The narratives of the older adults revealed a strong theme of resilience linked to social capital (bonding, bridging, and linking) and previous disaster experience. The results reflected the changing face of disaster management strategies and sources of social capital. Changes in disaster management polices (toward self-reliance) and more formalized sources of social capital highlight the need to build strong and healthy resilient communities that are capable of positively recovering from natural disasters. The results from this research emphasize the importance of initiatives that enhance social cohesion, trust, and social capital within local communities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:72-79).
ISSN:1935-7893
1938-744X
DOI:10.1017/dmp.2016.161