Religion and Coping with Trauma: Qualitative Examples from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Abstract
In this article, we consider the intersection of religious coping and the experience of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in a lifespan sample of adults living in South Louisiana during the 2005 storms. Participants were young, middle-age, older, and oldest-old adults who were interviewed during the post-disaster recovery period. Qualitative analyses confirmed that three dimensions of religion were represented across participants' responses. These dimensions included: 1) faith community, in relation to the significant relief effort and involvement of area churches; 2) religious practices, in the sense of participants' behavioral responses to the storms, such as prayer; and c) spiritual beliefs, referring to faith as a mechanism underlying individual and family-level adjustment, acceptance and personal growth in the post-disaster period. Implications for future disaster preparedness are considered.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
First Page
236
Last Page
253
Recommended Citation
Tausch, C., Marks, L. D., Brown, J. S., Cherry, K. E., Frias, T., McWilliams, Z., Melancon, M., & Sasser, D. D. (2011). Religion and Coping with Trauma: Qualitative Examples from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Journal of religion, spirituality & aging, 23 (3), 236-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2011.563203