Abstract
Hurricane Katrina forced the evacuation of thousands of people from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast. Storm-displaced older adults faced many challenges during the evacuation process and in the months that followed. In this chapter we examine the dynamics of displaced older adults’ social networks during the evacuation and post-Katrina events. We begin with a brief review of the literature on social support in late life, with emphasis on social support in times of disaster. In the next section, we present findings from a mixed method study conducted in the post-Katrina immediate impact period. Qualitative analyses of interviews with storm-displaced older persons provide new evidence concerning reliance on others for help and emotional support as they faced the aftermath of the storm. We also examined their perceptions of the availability of network members to provide future assistance and support as they rebuild their lives. Implications of these findings for developing effective evacuation strategies and meeting the social and emotional needs of storm-displaced older adults during the recovery period are considered.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anfara, V. A., Brown, K. M., & Mangione, T. L. (2002). Qualitative analysis on stage: Making the research process more public. Educational Researcher, 31, 28–38.
Antonucci, T. C. (2001). Social relations: An examination of social networks, social support, and sense of control. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (5th ed., pp. 427–453). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Antonucci, T. C., & Akiyama, H. (1995). Convoys of social relations: Family and friendships within a life span context. In R. Blieszner & V. H. Bedford (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the family (pp. 355–371). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
Arbore, P. (2007). Why do elders resist evacuation when natural disasters strike? Healthcare and aging. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from http://www.asaging.org/asav2/ han/enews/07winter/psych_issues.cfm
Baldwin, J. A., & Hopkins, R. (1990). African-American and European-American cultural differences as assessed by the Worldviews Paradigm: An empirical analysis. Western Journal of Black Studies, 14, 38–52.
Barrera, M. (1986). Distinctions between social support concepts, measures, and models. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 413–445.
Benson, W. F., & Aldrich, N. (2007). CDC’s disaster planning goal: Protect vulnerable older adults. Washington, DC: CDC Healthy Aging Program.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22, 723–742.
Campbell, J. (2006). On belonging and belongings: Older adults, Katrina, and lessons learned. Generations, 31, 75–78.
Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., & Jayakody, R. (1994). Fictive kinship relations in Black extended families. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 25, 297–312.
Cherry, K. E., Galea, S., & Silva, J. L. (2008). Successful aging in very old adults: Resiliency in the face of natural disaster. In M. Hersen & A. M. Gross (Eds.), Handbook of Clinical Psychology: Volume 1 (pp. 810–833). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Collins, P. H. (1991). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York: Routledge.
Davey, A., Femia, E. F., Zarit, S. H., Shea, D. G., Sundström, G., Berg, S., et al. (2005). Life on the edge: Patterns of formal and informal help to older adults in the United States and Sweden. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 60, S281–S288.
Dyer, C., Festa, N. A., Cloyd, B., Regev, M., Schwartzberg, J. G., James, J., et al. (2006). Recommendation for best practices in the management of elderly disaster victims. Houston: Baylor College of Medicine and the American Medical Association.
Elder, G. (1977). Family history and the life course. Journal of Family History, 2, 279–304.
Elliott, J. R., & Pais, J. (2006). Race, class, and Hurricane Katrina: Social differences in human responses to disaster. Social Science Research, 35, 295–321.
Fairchild, A. L., Colgrove, J., & Jones, M. M. (2006). The challenge of mandatory evacuation: Providing for and deciding for. Health Affairs, 25(4), 958–967.
Franklin, J. H. (2007). A historical note on Black families. In H. P. McAdoo (Ed.), Black families (4th ed., pp. 3–6). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
George, L. K. (2006). Perceived quality of life. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (6th ed., pp. 321–336). New York: Academic Press.
Gibson, M. J. (2006). We can do better: Lessons learned for protecting older persons in disasters. Washington, DC: American Association of Retired Persons.
Green, B. L., Lindy, J. D., Grace, M. C., Gleser, G. C., Leonard, A. C., Korol, M., et al. (1990). Buffalo Creek survivors in the second decade: Stability of stress symptoms. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 60, 43–55.
hooks, B. (1984). Feminist theory: From margin to center. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.
Hurlbert, J., Beggs, J., & Haines, V. (2000). Social networks and social capital in extreme environments. In N. Lin, K. Cook, & R. Burt (Eds.), Social capital: Theory and research (pp. 209–231). New York: Aldine DeGruyter.
Johnson, C. L. (1999). Fictive kin among oldest old African Americans in the San Francisco Bay area. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 54B, S368–S375.
Johnson, C. L. (2000). Perspectives on American kinship in the later 1990s. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 623–639.
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2006). Voices of the storm: Health experiences of low-income Katrina survivors. Retrieved October 31, 2008, from, http://www.kff.org/uninsured/7538.cfm
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2007). Giving voice to the people of New Orleans: The Kaiser Post-Katrina baseline survey. Retrieved October 31, 2008, from, http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/7631.cfm
Kaniasty, K., & Norris, F. H. (1993). A test of the social support deterioration model in the context of a natural disaster. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 395–408.
Knight, B. G., Gatz, M., Heller, K., & Bengtson V. L. (2000). Age and emotional response to the Northridge earthquake: A longitudinal analysis. Psychology and Aging, 15, 627–634.
Krause, N. (2001). Social support. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (5th ed., pp. 273–294). New York: Academic Press.
Krause, N. (2002). Exploring race differences in a comprehensive battery of church-based social support measures. Review of Religious Research, 44, 126–149.
Lee, E.-K. O. L., & Sharpe, T. (2007). Understanding religious/spiritual coping and support resources among African American older adults: A mixed-method approach. Journal of Religion, Spirituality, and Aging, 19(3), 55–75.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Miner, S. (1995). Racial differences in family support and formal service utilization among older persons: A nonrecursive model. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 50B,S143–S153.
Norris, F. H., Byrne, C. M., Diaz, E., & Kaniasty, K. (2007). Psychosocial resources in the aftermath of natural and human-caused disasters: A review of the empirical literature, with implications for intervention. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from, http://www.ncptsd. va.gov/ ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_resources.html?printable-template=factsheet
Norris, F. H., & Kaniasty, K. (1996). Received and perceived social support in times of stress: A test of the social support deterioration deterrence model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 498–511.
Roberto, K. A., & Husser, E. K. (2007). Social relationships: Resources and obstacles to older women's health adaptations and well-being. In T. J. Owens & J. J. Suitor (Eds.), Advances in life course research, Vol. 12: Interpersonal relations across the life course (pp. 383–410). New York: Elsevier Science.
Rook, K. S. (1987). Social support versus companionship: Effects on life stress, loneliness, and evaluations of others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1132–1147.
Sherbourne, C. D., & Stewart, A. L. (1991). The MOS social support survey. Social Science & Medicine, 32, 705–714.
Silverstein, M., & Waite, L. J. (1993). Are Blacks more likely than Whites to receive and provide social support in middle and old age? Yes, no, and maybe. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 48, S212–S222.
Stack, C. B. (1974). All our kin: Strategies for survival in a Black community. New York: Harper & Row.
Stack, C. B., & Burton, L. M. (1993). Kinscripts. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 24, 157–170.
Sudarkasa, N. (2007). Interpreting the African heritage in Afro-American family organization. In H. P. McAdoo (Ed.), Black families (4th ed., pp. 29–48). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
U.S. Senate Committee on Aging. (2006). Caring for seniors in a national emergency: Can we do better? (pp. 109–123). Washington, DC: Author.
Watanabe, C., Okumura, J., Chiu, T.-Y., & Wakai, S. (2004). Social support and depressive symptoms among displaced older adults following the 1999 Taiwan earthquake. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17(1), 63–67.
Weintraub, D., & Ruskin, P. E. (1999). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the elderly: A review. Harvard Review Psychiatry, 7(3), 144–152.
Zakour, M. J. (2008). Social capital and increased organizational capacity for evacuation in natural disasters. Social Development Issues, 30(1), 13–28.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the National Science Foundation (Grant # 0650909), cooperation by local churches, New Orleans Council on Aging, East Baton Rouge Council on Aging, Council on Aging in St. Tammany, and the Governor’s Office on Elderly Affairs, and the assistance of numerous students at each of our respective universities.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Roberto, K.A., Kamo, Y., Henderson, T. (2009). Encounters with Katrina: Dynamics of Older Adults’ Social Support Networks. In: Cherry, K. (eds) Lifespan Perspectives on Natural Disasters. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0393-8_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0393-8_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0392-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0393-8
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)