COPING STRATEGIES AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH

This study plan out to investigate the coping strategies and resilience of individuals affected by severe flooding in the Samba District of Jammu & Kashmir. The findings provide valuable insights into the psychosocial dynamics of a disaster-affected community in a specific cultural context and have significant implications for disaster management and mental health policy. The socio-demographic finding that Male participants demonstrated significantly higher resilience scores than females. However, this finding should be interpreted cautiously as resilience may be influenced by sociocultural roles, reporting tendencies, and access to social resources, is consistent with some previous disaster literature (e.g., Tolin & Foa, 2006). Although age was examined as a potential correlate, it did not emerge as a significant independent factor associated with resilience in the multivariable model., it did not emerge as a statistically significant independent predictor in the regression model (B=-0.08, p=.11), indicating that its apparent effect is accounted for by coping and social support when these variables are controlled. This could be due to a variety of factors, including traditional gender roles that may burden women with greater caregiving and domestic stressors post-disaster. However, these findings must be interpreted with caution, as they may also reflect gender biases in the measurement of resilience itself. The fact that gender remained a significant predictor even after controlling for coping and support suggests that other unmeasured factors are at play. Study revealed that the most striking finding was the overwhelming reliance on adaptive coping strategies, with religious coping, active problem-solving, and seeking social support being the three most frequently used. The high prevalence of religious coping (68%) aligns with research conducted in other South Asian contexts, where faith and spirituality often serve as primary resources for meaning-making and emotional regulation during crises (Goldmann & Galea, 2014). In the culturally rich region of Jammu & Kashmir, turning to prayer, religious gatherings, and spiritual leaders is not just a personal act but a communal one, reinforcing social bonds and a sense of shared destiny. This highlights the critical importance of incorporating religious and faith-based organizations into disaster response frameworks as key partners in psychosocial support. The positive association between social support and resilience is consistent with findings reported by Aldrich and Meyer (2015), who identified social capital as a critical determinant of disaster recovery. The high use of active problem-solving (62%) and seeking social support (59%) demonstrates a proactive and socially oriented approach to recovery. Survivors were not passively enduring their situation but were actively engaged in rebuilding efforts and leveraging their social networks for both emotional and instrumental aid. This finding challenges a narrative of victimhood and i nstead paints a picture of agency and resourcefulness. It underscores the resilience inherent in community structures, where neighbors, family, and friends form the first line of support. Conversely, the relatively low use of maladaptive strategies like denial and substance use is encouraging. While these behaviors were present and, as expected, negatively correlated with resilience, they were not the norm. This could suggest that the strong social fabric of the community acts as a deterrent to socially isolating or harmful behaviors. Though, the 14% rate of substance use still warrants attention, as it represents a vulnerable subgroup that may require targeted interventions. The mean resilience score of 61.4 (SD = 12.7) indicates a moderately high level of resilience in the sample contextually, Connor & Davidson (2003) reported a mean CD-RISC score of 80.4 in a general population sample, placing the present sample’s score of 61.4 in the l ower-moderate range relative to non disaster populations, though comparable to means reported in other post-disaster studies (range typically 55–65). This is consistent with the finding that adaptive coping was prevalent. It suggests that despite the significant hardship faced, the majority of individuals possessed the inner and outer resources to cope effectively. However, the wide standard deviation also highlights the substantial variability in resilience, emphasizing that resilience is not a given but is distributed unevenly across the population. The regression analysis provided the most critical insights by identifying the key predictors of this resilience. The finding that social support was the strongest predictor (â =.31) powerfully confirms the central thesis of community resilience theories (Norris et al., 2008). It is not just an individual’s psychological makeup but the quality of their connections to others that most robustly predicts their ability to bounce back. This aligns with the work of Aldrich and Meyer (2015), who demonstrated that social capital is a more powerful predictor of recovery than physical or financial capital. The significant contribution of adaptive coping (â=.25) and community participation (â=.18) reinforces this. Resilience is an active process; it is built through doingthrough solving problems, reaching out to others, and participating in collective life. These findings suggest that interventions that simply provide aid without fostering engagement and self efficacy may be less effective in the long run. The negative impact of maladaptive coping (â =-.19) also serves as a clear indicator that mental health services need to identify and address these harmful behaviors early on.

· Integrate MHPSS in Disaster Plans: Make mental health and psychosocial support a key part of disaster preparedness, with training for community workers and first responders.

· Reinforce Social Networks: Design aid programs that strengthen community cohesion through collective rebuilding and peer-support initiatives.