A group of researchers from the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS, including Drs. Michael Dolezal, Heather Littleton, and Chip Benight, alongside Dr. Ashley Allen from the University of North Carolina Pembroke, have written a paper about how rural hurricane survivors adapt to life after a hurricane. The paper was recently accepted for publication in a psychology-specific scientific journal called Anxiety, Stress, and Coping.

The researchers examined hurricane survivors’ coping behaviors, judgments of their ability to cope with the hurricane (coping self-efficacy), and adjustment over time. They discovered that people who felt more confident in their ability to cope with the hurricane used better coping strategies, such as taking practical steps to manage the hurricane’s effects. This group also reported feeling fewer symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as time went on.

For additional information about the Research division of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, visit https://resilience.uccs.edu/research.