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Impacts of Sense of Community and Satisfaction with Governmental Recovery on Psychological Status of the Wenchuan Earthquake Survivors

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Abstract

This research examined the impacts of sense of community and satisfaction with governmental recovery on life satisfaction and depression of the Wenchuan earthquake survivors. A total of 304 valid questionnaires were collected. Bivariate analysis indicated that both sense of community and satisfaction with governmental recovery were correlated significantly with both life satisfaction and depression. Regression analyses showed that the variables of sense of community and satisfaction with governmental recovery were only associated significantly with life satisfaction, controlling socio-demographic and other variables. The research highlighted the importance to examine both positive and negative aspects of psychological status of disaster survivors and to include the factors related to community and social policies in examining their psychological status. Limitation and direction of future studies were address. The implications of the research were discussed in China’s social and political contexts.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported with Hong Kong South China Programme Research Grant, the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the project: Rebuilding a post-disaster community from inside out: Action research on an asset-based social recovery project in Beichuan (6903204).

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  1. Social Work and Social Planning, School of Social and Policy Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Flinders University, Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Yunong Huang

  2. Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China

    Hung Wong

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  1. Yunong Huang
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Correspondence to Yunong Huang.

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Huang, Y., Wong, H. Impacts of Sense of Community and Satisfaction with Governmental Recovery on Psychological Status of the Wenchuan Earthquake Survivors. Soc Indic Res 117, 421–436 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0354-3

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