Checking-in with the Volunteers: A Longitudinal Review of the Impact of Traumatization during Disaster Relief Work

Background and Purpose: With the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, there have been numerous studies examining the mechanisms of traumatization for those impacted. However, to date, most of this research has adopted a cross-sectional design. In an effort to address the need for longitudinal examination of post-disaster mental health outcomes, the current study examined the follow-up data collected from volunteers in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (HK-R). HK-R were the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, resulting in 1,300 deaths combined and up to $220 billion in financial costs. Consequently, volunteers made substantial efforts to help address the needs of those impacted. Consequently, many were traumatized upon their exposure to pain and ruin. The current study examined the effects of character strengths and coping on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (H-KR) volunteers, alongside hazard-related factors and peritraumatic emotional responses. We hypothesized that; 1) hurricane stressors and peritraumatic emotional reactions to the storm would have a long-term effect on PTSS, 2) Character strength indicators of optimism and altruism assessed in Wave-1 would have a protective effect on traumatization in Wave-2, controlling for other disaster factors and spirituality, and 3) negative coping would be positively associated with Wave-2 PTSS. Methods: The current secondary analysis is of a two-wave survey wherein Wave-1 (n = 542) and Wave-2 (n = 201) were completed at three-months and at six-months after disaster relief experiences respectively. Participants were recruited from 5 public universities in the Gulf Coast Area, and only two of these universities participated in the follow-up data collected in Wave-2. To examine the data, we employed both bivariate correlations and hierarchical regression using theory-informed, preplanned steps (i.e., 1. Demographics; 2. H-KR related factors, negative coping, perceived spiritual support and Wave-1 PTSS; 3. optimism and altruism in Wave-1 to explore their prediction for PTSS in Wave-2.) Results: Bivariate correlations revealed that Wave-2 PTSS was negatively associated only with optimism (r = -.21, p < .01) and was positively related to altruism (r = .15, p<.05), peritraumatic negative emotions (r = .45, p < .01), and hurricane stressors (r = .28, p < .01). However, the final step of the hierarchical model (F_13,149 = 6.766, p < .001), which explained nearly 41.2% of the total variance in PTSS, supported a more complex picture. Wave-1 optimism and altruism were not significant predictors of Wave-2 PTSS. However, Wave 1 PTSS (β = .327, p < .001), negative emotion (β = .269, p < .05), and H-KR stressors (β = .140, p < .10) were significant predictors of Wave-2 PTSS. Conclusions and Implications: Our findings supported our first hypothesis, while our expectations in hypothesis 2 and 3 were both unmet. While positive emotions did not have a protective role, negative emotions continuously enhanced traumatization experiences of volunteers. These complex findings underscore the importance of acute mental health support to volunteers in disaster scenarios. The current findings merit both empirical and clinical social work attention to ensure the sustainability of disaster relief efforts.