Exploring the Buffering Role of Social Capital in the Development of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Iranian Earthquake Survivors

• Published in: Psychological trauma 2022-09, Vol.14 (6), p.1040-1046
• Main Authors: Rafiey, Hassan, Alipour, Fardin, LeBeau, Richard, Salimi, Yahya, Ahmadi, Shokoufeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Disasters; Female; Human; Male; Mental Health; Natural Disasters; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Social Capital; Survivors; Symptoms
• ISSN: 1942-9681; 1942-969X
• DOI: 10.1037/tra0000524

Objective: Social capital, or the resources that an individual can draw on through his or her social networks and the value ascribed to these resources by the individual, has been hypothesized to be an important factor in the development of mental health problems following a natural disaster. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted in this area. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential buffering effect of the 2 types of social capital-bonding and bridging social capital-on the association between severity of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a large sample of earthquake survivors in Iran. Method: Participants were 600 adults who survived the Azarbaijan earthquake in Iran. Participants were selected using a multistage sampling method. PTSD symptoms were reported in 37% of the participants, 95% CI [34%, 41%]. Results: Consistent with prior research, significant differences were found between areas that were highly affected and areas that were less affected by the disaster. Although both bonding and bridging social capitals were negatively related to PTSD symptoms, this buffering effect against PTSD symptoms was about 2 times as large for bridging capital than for bonding social capital. Conclusion: While bridging and bonding social capital are both significant protective factors for mental health outcomes following natural disasters, bridging social capital may be more important. Future directions for this area of research are discussed, as are policy implications for disaster preparedness and postdisaster interventions. Clinical Impact Statement In this article, we examine the potential buffering role of bridging and bonding social capital in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms following exposure to a natural disaster. Although both types of social capital had a buffering effect, bridging social capital had a particularly strong effect. This suggests that interventions that increase connection and trust between heterogeneous groups of people living in disaster-stricken areas may be helpful for community mental health.