This study investigates predictors of local participation in recovery projects and programmes following Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2005 and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Using two sets of survey data, it examines whether disaster impacts and social capital (social trust and civic engagement) are associated with disaster recovery participation and compares predictors of such engagement in the two locations. Multivariate logistic regression results reveal that physical injuries, limited community mobility, and government trust increase recovery participation in Haiti (n=278), whereas emotional distress and homeownership decrease it. On the Gulf Coast of the US (n=259), physical injuries and higher civic engagement augment recovery participation, while homeownership and age reduce it. The confounding factors of national contexts and post-disaster time frames might explain the differences in the results. The discussion addresses the relation between country-specific vulnerability and recovery participation and suggests implications for policy and practice to improve local citizens' capabilities to participate in sustainable recovery processes.

Through a critical discourse analysis of news media after the US Gulf Coast hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake disasters, we draw from Soss et al.'s (2011) ideas about US poverty governance-neoliberal paternalism-to identify how a similar phenomenon of 'neoliberal disaster governance' (NDG) operates in these contexts. NDG is a set of discourses, policies, and practices, we argue, which endeavors to control disaster survivors in order to further the ends of neoliberal capitalism. Specifically, we find several key story lines that legitimate and perpetuate NDG, namely disaster capitalism, securitization and militarization of disaster settings, discourses of racial cleansing, and displacement.

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of a culturally congruent group intervention program entitled ''Claiming Your Connections (CYC)'' aimed at reducing stress and enhancing psychosocial competence (i.e., locus of control and active coping) among Black college women. Method: Using an experimental design, a total of 96 undergraduate Black college women recruited from four predominantly White institutions and one historically Black college and university were randomly assigned to either the CYC group (n ¼ 49) or the wait-list control group (n ¼ 47). The CYC group attended 10-week group intervention sessions. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test intervention effects for the outcome variables. Results: After the intervention, the CYC group reported a significantly greater reduction in perceived stress and external locus of control compared to the control group. Conclusions: Counseling implications and directions for the development of future culturally relevant practice interventions with this population are discussed.

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