Contextual Positive Coping As a Factor Contributing to Resilience After Disasters

Objective: Strategy-situation fit, or contextual coping, posits that the physical and psychological demands associated with stressors are determined in part by the characteristics of each stress situation and may therefore require the use of different coping strategies. In this review, we discuss strategy-situation fit in the context of both natural and manmade disasters as it pertains to positivity and, ultimately, resilience after disasters.

Method: We reviewed the relevant literature on positivity and coping with disasters using a contextual approach.

Results: We identified several disaster-related characteristics (i.e., cause of disaster, temporal characteristics of disasters, and degree of resource loss) that might influence the efficacy of positive coping strategies. We then discussed strategies that could be useful for promoting resilience with regard to these different characteristics.

Conclusion: This work represents an initial step in conceptualizing disaster resiliency within the framework of contextual positive coping. Recommendations for future avenues of research are discussed.