Social support is a known protective factor against the negative psychological impact of natural disasters. Most past research has examined how the effects of exposure to traumatic events influences whether someone meets diagnostic criteria for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); it has also suggested sequelae of disaster exposure depends on whether survivors are displaced from their homes. To capture the full range of the psychological impact of natural disasters, we examined the buffering effects of social support on depressive symptoms and cluster-specific PTSD symptoms, with consideration of displacement status. In a survey conducted 18 to 24 months after Hurricane Katrina, 810 adults exposed to the disaster reported the number of Katrina-related traumatic events experienced, perceived social support 2 months post-Katrina, and cluster-specific PTSD and depressive symptoms experienced since Katrina. Analyses assessed the moderating effects of social support and displacement and the conditional effects of displacement status. Social support significantly buffered the negative effect of Katrina-related traumatic events on depressive symptoms, B = -0.10, p = .001, and avoidance and arousal PTSD symptoms, B = -0.02, p = .035 and B = -0.02, p = .042, respectively. Three-way interactions were nonsignificant. Conditional effects indicated social support buffered development of depressive symptoms across all residents; however, the moderating effects of support on avoidance and arousal symptoms only appeared significant for nondisplaced residents. Results highlight the protective effects of disaster-related social support among nondisplaced individuals, and suggest displaced individuals may require more formal supports for PTSD symptom reduction following a natural disaster.

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Moral elevation is a positive emotion described as feeling inspired by others’ virtuous actions. Elevation has several psychosocial benefits, some of which may be relevant to trauma-related distress; however, past studies have primarily examined elevation in nonclinical, civilian populations or in naturalistic studies. This experimental study used mixed methods to assess if veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience elevation when exposed to elevation stimuli in a controlled setting. Participants included 47 veterans with significant PTSD symptoms. Following baseline measures and a written trauma narrative, veterans were randomized to an elevation or amusement condition where they viewed two videos intended to elicit the condition emotion. Veterans also provided a written journal response describing their reaction to the videos. Self-report measures were administered after each study task to assess state-level elevation and amusement. Veterans randomized to the elevation condition reported significantly higher levels of elevation after videos compared to veterans in the amusement condition. Qualitative results offered further support for differences between groups and identified unique themes related to the experience of elevation. Overall, findings indicate it is possible to induce elevation in veterans with significant PTSD symptoms. Additionally, qualitative results highlight specific benefits of elevation and potential targets for treatment integration and future exploration.

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