A Dual Route in Explaining Health Outcomes in Natural Disaster

Human beings seem to be resilient and have a great capacity to overcome adverse circumstances. One apparent variable that may predict people’s emotional and physical health after a trauma is their general level of psychological well-being (McMillen, Smith, & Fisher, 1997). The current study explores the role of subjective vitality and the perception of stress as mediators between general life satisfaction and post-trauma physiological and psychological health related to the Canadian 1998 Ice Storm. Results of this dual route indicate that satisfaction with life positively predicted subjective vitality and negatively predicted perceived stress. In turn, subjective vitality lead to lower levels of ill-health, whereas perception of stress lead to higher levels of physical symptoms and depression.