Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 46, Issue 1-2, Pages 1-18Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1007/s10464-010-9329-6
Keywords
Social support; Slow-motion technological disaster; Altruistic community; Conflict
Funding
- NCI NIH HHS [P30CA022453, R01 CA140314, P30 CA022453] Funding Source: Medline
- PHS HHS [H75/CCH524709-0] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Social support is an important resource for communities experiencing disasters. However, a disaster's nature (rapid-versus slow-onset, natural versus technological) may influence community-level responses. Disaster research on social support focuses primarily on rapid-onset natural disasters and, to a lesser extent, rapid-onset technological disasters. Little research has addressed slow-onset disasters. This study explores social support processes in Libby, MT, a community experiencing a slow-motion technological disaster'' due to widespread amphibole asbestos exposure. A comprehensive social support coding system was applied to focus-group and in-depth-interview transcripts. Results reveal that, although the community has a history of normative supportiveness during community and individual crises, that norm has been violated in the asbestos disaster context. Results are interpreted as a failure to achieve an emergent altruistic community.'' Specifically, community-level conflict appears to interfere with previously established social support patterns. The observed phenomenon can be understood as the deterioration of a previously supportive community.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available