Abstract
The study examined a circumscribed class of cognitions (i.e., dispositional optimism and perceived consequences) in connection to the emotional distress experienced in anticipation of a major seismic event (i.e., pre-hazard emotional distress). Grounded on cognitive-behavioral theory, it was argued that dispositional optimism exerts distal influence on distress, while the perceived consequences of a major seismic event are proximal to distress and, therefore, interpose the optimism-distress relationship. The hypothesis was tested via a cross-sectional study on a sample of 189 volunteers located in areas of high seismic hazard. Participants reported their level of pre-hazard emotional distress, their dispositional optimism, and their perceived consequences of a major seismic hazard. The results showed that there was a partial indirect effect from dispositional optimism to emotional distress via perceived consequences, indirect effect = −0.190, SE = 0.114, 95 % CI [−0.487; −0.021], k2 = 0.051. These findings could inform future prevention programs targeting emotional distress in anticipation of a natural hazard with impact on post-disaster recovery.
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Notes
Pre-hazard was a term chosen to suggest the potential for an extreme environmental event, while pre-impact was chosen to refer to the actual impact of an extreme environmental event.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS—UEFISCDI, project number PN II-RU-TE-2014-4-2481, contract number 293/01/10/2015, coordinated by Dr. Ioana R. Podina.
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Eugen Avram and Ioana R. Podina have contributed equally to this work.
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Avram, E., Podina, I.R. & Giosan, C. A Cognitive-Behavioral Standpoint on the Perceived Consequences of a Major Seismic Event in Relation to Optimism and Pre-hazard Emotional Distress. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 34, 114–124 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-015-0231-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-015-0231-x