Perceived coping & concern predict terrorism preparedness in Australia

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Margo Barr¹  Alison L Jones²  Beverley Raphael³  Kingsley Agho³  Garry Stevens³  Melanie Taylor³ 

[1] Centre for Epidemiology and Research, New South Wales Ministry of Health, 73 Miller Street, 2060, North Sydney, NSW, Australia;Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Building 28, 2522, Wollongong, NSW, Australia;Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia;School of Medicine, Building EV, Parramatta Campus, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, 2751, Penrith, NSW, Australia;

关键词: Terrorism;    Resilience;    Coping;    Self-efficacy;    Preparedness;    Avoidance;    Behaviours;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-12-1117

 received in 2012-05-27, accepted in 2012-12-22,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn the aftermath of major terrorist incidents research shows population shifts towards protective behaviours, including specific preparedness and avoidance responses. Less is known about individual preparedness in populations with high assumed threat but limited direct exposure, such as Australia. In this study we aimed to determine whether individuals with high perceived coping and higher concern would show greater preparedness to respond to terrorism threats.MethodsAdults in New South Wales (NSW) completed terrorism perception and response questions as part of computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) in 2010 (N=2038). Responses were weighted against the NSW population. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between personal coping/concern factors and terrorism-related preparedness and avoidance behaviours, and to control for potential confounders such as socio-demographic and threat perception factors.ResultsIncreased vigilance for suspicious behaviours was the most commonly reported behavioural response to perceived terrorism threat. Multivariate analyses showed that the factor combination of high perceived coping and higher concern was the most consistent predictor of terrorism preparedness behaviours and evacuation intentions, including increased vigilance (Adjusted Odd Ratios (AOR)=2.07, p=0.001) learning evacuation plans (AOR=1.61, p=0.05), establishing emergency contact plans (AOR=2.73, p<0.001), willingness to evacuate homes (AOR=2.20, p=0.039), and willingness to evacuate workplaces or public facilities (AOR=6.19, p=0.015) during potential future incidents.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that terrorism preparedness behaviours are strongly associated with perceived high coping but that this relationship is also mediated by personal concerns relating to this threat. Cognitive variables such as coping self-efficacy are increasingly targeted as part of natural hazard preparedness and are a viable intervention target for terrorism preparedness initiatives. Raising individual coping perceptions may promote greater general and incident-specific preparedness and could form an integral element of community resilience strategies regarding this threat.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Stevens et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012