Resilience and Religious Coping in Libyan Survivors of Hurricane Daniele

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the mediating roles of resilience, posttraumatic growth (PTG) and religiosity between the impact of hurricane trauma and psychological distress. Using a cross-sectional design, the study involved 101 Libyan participants with an average age of 30.43 years (SD = 9.59), of whom 72% were women. Participants completed validated tests, including the Impact of Event Scale (IES), Brief Resilience Scale, Muslim Religiosity Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). The results indicated that posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were not associated with PTG (r = 0.04, p > 0.05) or religiosity (r = 0.02, p > 0.05) but were negatively associated with resilience (r = −0.39, p < 0.001) and positively associated with psychological distress including anxiety (r = 0.72, p < 0.001) and depression (r = 0.69, p < 0.001). Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that only resilience positively mediated the association between PTSS and anxiety (indirect effect = 0.04, p = 0.031), while PTSS positively predicted psychological distress (β = 0.037, p < 0.001). Network analysis identified parent loss is strongly connected with intrusion (r = 0.121), as most central node, while partner loss was associated with hyperarousal (r = 0.063), irritability (r = 0.036) and both share the same connection with numbing, while interestingly partner and friends loss share connection with resilience (r = 0.177). The study concludes that urgent clinical interventions, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, are required for the affected individuals, with a focus on enhancing resilience as a protective factor against PTSS.