Relationship between Drinking Water Sources and Perceptions of Psychological Resilience in Older Adults Following Hurricane Maria

Abstract

Natural hazards significantly impact drinking water availability and reliability, posing challenges in accessing sufficient quality and quantity. Understanding the connection between water access and perceptions of psychological resilience (defined as how individuals bounce back after facing a major trauma) can clarify its role in well-being postdisaster. This study surveyed 208 older adults in Puerto Rico (May–July 2021), aged 64–104 years, 65% of whom were female, to explore this linkage following Hurricane Maria. Results show a strong preference for bottled water with 86% of participants using it as a drinking source. Municipal tap water is the second most preferred at 71%, while well water is the least favored, used by less than 4%. A gender-specific effect was found in the association between municipal tap water consumption and psychological resilience, where municipal tap water consumption was associated with higher psychological resilience only among women. The findings suggest that although bottled water is the preferred choice, municipal tap water use is positively associated with psychological resilience among women postdisaster. Research is needed to replicate these findings to attempt to determine their consistency in other similar contexts and identify underlying reasons and future implications for disaster response and preparedness.