COPING STRATEGIES AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITHabsttract

Background: Floods are recurrent natural disasters that disrupt communities, causing not only physical and economic damage but also significant psychological distress. Survivors often rely on coping strategies and resilience to adapt and recover, yet these processes remain underexplored in many flood-prone regions.Aim: The study aimed to assess coping strategies and resilience among individuals affected by severe flooding and to examine coping strategies, resilience levels, and factors associated with resilience among flood survivors.Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 flood survivors from affected communities in Samba District of Jammu & Kashmir. Data were collected using the Brief COPE Inventory to assess coping strategies and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) to measure resilience levels. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses were applied to examine associations between coping strategies, socio-demographic variables, and resilience.Results: Findings showed that religious coping (68%), active problem-solving (62%), and seeking social support (59%) were the most frequently adopted strategies. Maladaptive strategies, including denial (21%) and substance use (14%), were less common but negatively correlated with resilience. The mean resilience score was 61.4 (SD = 12.7), with higher resilience observed among men and those with strong community ties (age was not a significant predictor in the regression model). Regression analysis indicated that adaptive coping, social support, and community participation significantly predicted resilience, explaining 41% of the variance.Conclusion: The study concludes that resilience is shaped by both individual coping strategies and community-level resources. Interventions should focus on strengthening adaptive coping, enhancing social support systems, and integrating culturally sensitive mental health services into disaster preparedness and recovery programs.