Effects of Resilience, Coping Styles and Social Support on Quality of Life among People Living in Flood-Affected Communities

Abstract

Floods are natural disasters that affect individuals, communities and the environment which affects quality of life. Studies have used different predictors  to examine quality of life among people affected by flood with varied results. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of resilience, coping styles and social support on quality of life among people living in flood-affected communities in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.  Cross-sectional survey design was adopted while purposive sampling technique was used to select five communities affected by flood. Data were collected from 250 participants using validated scales and analyzed with multiple regression to test hypothesis  accepted at p < .001 level of significance. The results reveal that  resilience, coping styles and social support jointly predicted quality of life among study participants R² = .738, F(2, 448) = 64.89, p < .001.  Furthermore, resilience (β = 0.667, p < .001), coping styles (β = 0.459, p < .001) and social support (β= 0.587,p <.001) independently predicted quality of life among study participants. The study concludes that resilience, coping styles and social support are excellent predictors of quality of life among study participants. The study recommends building robust community support networks to foster resilience and help individuals affected to cope which in turn could improve their quality of life.