Research report
The resilience and personality characteristics of Japanese disaster support workers: A questionnaire study
2022 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 110-116
Details
2022 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 110-116
【Purpose】
The aim of study was to conduct a questionnaire study on resilience among professional disaster support workers as well as their characteristics.
【Methods】
The participants consisted of 19 males and females (41.3±10.8 years) with disaster support experience. Besides the participants’ personal information, this study used the Bidimensional Resilience Scale (BRS), the NEO-Five Factor Inventory personality test (NEO-FFI), and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
【Results】
Results showed that compared with the general adult population, those engaged in disaster support achieved higher BRS resilience and NEO-FFI scores excluding neuroticism but lower STAI scores than the general adult population. Furthermore, this study found significant positive correlations between the BRS’s qualitative resilience factors and the NEO-FFI’s extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness dimensions and significant negative correlations between the BRS’s qualitative resilience factors and the NEO-FFI’s neuroticism dimension (P<0.05). Positive correlations were also found between the acquired resilience factor of the BRS and the extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness dimensions of the NEO-FFI, and negative correlations were found between the acquired resilience factor of the BRS and the NEO-FFI’s neuroticism dimension (P<0.05). In addition, significant negative correlations were observed between the dispositional resilience aspect of the BRS and the state anxiety and trait anxiety factors of the STAI (P<0.05). Despite the significant negative correlation between the acquired resilience factor of the BRS and the trait anxiety dimension of the STAI, no significant relation was observed between the acquired resilience factor of the BRS and the state anxiety aspect of the STAI.
【Conclusion】
These results indicate that professional disaster support workers are not only less susceptible to anxiety and stress but also more sociable, eager to help disaster victims, and sincere in their support efforts.
