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Sense of community and depressive symptoms among older earthquake survivors following the 2008 earthquake in Chengdu China
Author(s) -
Li Yawen,
Sun Fei,
He Xusong,
Chan Kin Sun
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20469
Subject(s) - distress , protective factor , depression (economics) , sense of community , china , psychology , coping (psychology) , depressive symptoms , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , geography , anxiety , archaeology , economics , macroeconomics
Abstract This study examined the impact of an earthquake as well as the role of sense of community as a protective factor against depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults who survived an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in 2008. A household survey of a random sample was conducted 3 months after the earthquake and 298 older earthquake survivors participated in it. The results showed that earthquake‐associated distress had a direct effect on depression controlling for coping, informal support, and sense of community. The results also showed that the effect of earthquake‐associated distress is contingent upon the level of sense of community. The findings highlighted the role of individuals' sense of community as a protective factor against traumatic experiences and suggested that attempts to build trust and form a sense of belonging to the new community among older earthquake survivors would help them reduce distress and facilitate a smooth recovery. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.