Natural Hazards Research Summit 2024: Exploring Predictors of Disaster Resilience Among Older Adults: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey

Background: Older adults are the fastest growing age group in the United States and overwhelmingly desire to age independently in their homes. However, many older Americans reside in places increasingly exposed to disasters fueled by climate change; this is complicated by the fact that older adults are uniquely vulnerable in all stages of disaster.

Methods: The Aging in Risky Environmental Areas (AREA) Study is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of community-welling adults ages 50 and older (N = 1,504) who were queried in November 2022 on topics related to aging, disaster exposure, and climate change. This analysis examines predictors of older adults’ scores on the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS), which is comprised of four domains: individual resources, social resources, problem solving, distress regulation, and optimism. Our primary exposure was self-reported disaster exposure based on the number of climate-related disasters respondents had experienced within the previous three years. Indirect disaster exposure was based on ever having lost income, savings, or credit, or evacuated and/or been displaced by a disaster. Direct disaster exposure was based the individual or a household member ever having been injured, experienced illness, the loss of a pet, lost contact with loved ones, or property damage due to a disaster. We conducted bivariate analyses and multivariate linear regression adjusting for sociodemographic factors (age group, annual household income, race, ethnicity, US Census region, gender, marital status, homeownership, home type, household size), and indicators of ‘healthy aging’ (place attachment, loneliness, cognition, depression, psychological distress, time spending patterns, and chronic health conditions).

Results: Among the final sample (N=1,504), 40.3% (n=606) were exposed to ≥2 climate-related disasters in the past 3 years. Bivariate analyses showed that total disaster exposure (p = 0.002), any indirect exposure (p < 0.001), and any direct exposure (p = 0.005) were all negatively associated with total disaster resilience. Total disaster exposure was also negatively associated with DARS subscales of social resources (p = 0.003), distress regulation (p < 0.001), and optimism (p = 0.006). In the final weighted multivariate model, disaster exposure was no longer associated with resilience. Several variables related to healthy aging, however, were associated with respondents’ disaster resilience. Place attachment (b = 3.28, p < 0.001) and time spent on social and leisure activities (b = 1.23, p < 0.001) were associated with greater DARS scores, while loneliness (b = -0.47, p < 0.001), cognitive impairment (b = -8.28, p < 0.001), depression (b = -5.47, p = 0.002), and psychological distress (b = -0.88, p < 0.001) were associated with lower DARS scores.

Conclusions: Results from this novel study on older Americans and climate change show that while greater disaster exposure is associated with worse disaster resilience, healthy aging can supersede this and enhance older adults’ resilience in the face of more frequent and intense climate-related disasters. These results can inform stakeholders’ targeting of healthy aging interventions to improve disaster outcomes for older adults.