Is social capital a resiliency factor in disaster mitigation? Exploring relationships of social capital with injury and damage severity among hurricane Katrina Survivors in Mississippi

Introduction

Social capital (social networks) has been identified as a resiliency factor in mental health. It is also recognized as an added advantage and protective factor against morbidity in depression and anxiety. Loss has been identified as a risk factor for mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety. However, it has not been clearly determined whether during disaster situations, social capital can help mitigate the severity of damage and loss, thus reduce the risk for mental health effects. We explore the relationships between injury, damage and social capital.

Methods

223 survivors who had lived in Mississippi for the past 6 months filled an 8 section questionnaire on areas that include social capital, severity of damage, religious coping, experience of discrimination, resiliency and demographics. Data were stored and analyzed using SPSS. Regression was used to analyze relationships between elements of social capital, level of injury and severity of damage. The implications were discussed

Results

Of the respondents, 92.3% had 3 or less people living with them after Katrina and 96.4% before; 95% were close to 8 or less people before Katrina and 97.3% after. Thirty people (13.5%) rated their injury due to Katrina between mild and severe while 17 people (7.7%) rated their disability due to Katrina between mild to severe. Due to the small proportions of injured and disabled, significant associations between social capital and injury or disability could not be detected.