Emotional distress related to hazards and earthquake risk perception

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate emotional distress related to hazards (EDH) considering appraisals and personal resources from cognitive appraisal theory in a sample of Bucharest inhabitants periodically exposed to earthquakes (EQ). The sample consisted of 336 respondents (M = 33.71 years old, SD = 13.71, 64.6% females). The hierarchical regression model revealed that discomfort of living space, a personal resource, was the strongest predictor of EDH (β = .18, t(313) = 3.09, p < .01), closely followed by appraisals or risk perception variables: hazards anticipation (β = .17, t(316) = 2.11, p < .05) and negative EQ consequences (β = .13, t(316) = 2.28, p < .05). The overall model explained 17% of the variance of EDH. This study shows that the cognitive appraisal theory can be successfully used to explain the EDH of citizens living in an earthquake-prone city. Also, it emphasizes that earthquake-related factors can be relevant when discussing EDH levels of people in cities experiencing recurrent earthquakes.