Paper Details

Natural calamities play an essential role in determining mental well-being and social functioning. Uttarakhand is a state located in the Himalayas within India and often faces various natural disasters like flooding, landslides, and cloudbursts. The 2013 Uttarakhand floods are considered one of the worst, resulting in extensive damage to infrastructure and significant psychological disturbances in the affected communities. Research has shown that nearly 66.7% of children faced psychosocial problems, while 18% exhibited psychological disturbances. The present article discusses resilience and coping among individuals in communities experiencing disasters in the Uttarakhand region. This paper will look at the psychosocial consequences of the 2013 floods and other mountain disasters experienced by the region, drawing on evidence that suggests that exposure to disaster situations in Uttarakhand had a variety of physical, psychological, and social effects ranging from anxiety, depression, and grief to disruption of livelihood and community strain, alongside the adaptive potential of social coping and participation in recovery processes by communities and institutions. In this research, the focus is on psychological resilience and coping mechanisms in disaster-stricken communities in Uttarakhand. The methodology employed was that of conducting surveys with a total sample size of 30 people affected by disasters in Uttarakhand. It was concluded that there were several factors that played a role in resilience building, such as social support systems, religion, community ties, and help from the government. Elderly people and women had low levels of resilience compared to youth.

Psychological Resilience, Coping Strategies, Natural Disasters, Uttarakhand, Mental Health, PTSD, Community Resilience