Abstract:
This study looked into the experiences of urban communities to be able to describe
their post-disaster psychological resilience in the individual, family, and community level. This
study employed exploratory research method and utilized qualitative descriptive analysis to be
able to explore the experiences of urban communities on the practice of building post-disaster
psychological resilience. It was conducted in two research sites – Barangay 597 in Manila and
Barangay Dampalit in Malabon City. The study used focus group discussions (FGD) as data
collection method. Five sets of FGD were conducted in each research site wherein each set is
composed of 4-7 participants. A total of 50 participants took part in the 10 sets of FGD in both
sites.
The practices of building post-disaster psychological resilience including the application
of coping strategies and facilitating factors in the two communities were found to be similar. The
findings show that the view of the two urban communities towards disasters are nearly the same.
The two communities deal with the same sets of disaster-related problems which involve lack of
access to basic necessities and possible damages and losses. The residents deal with these problems
through utilization of comparable coping strategies and facilitating factors which are exhibited in
the individual, family, and community level. Filipino traits and values which characterize the
Filipino construct of psychological resilience are embedded in these strategies. Socio-demographic
characteristics of individuals influence their way of coping due to the roles and responsibilities
attached to their sex, age, and roles in the community.
