What keeps older adults resilient in natural disasters? A scoping review
Abstract
Older Adults represent a large and steadily growing segment of the global population. Despite widespread generalizations emphasizing vulnerability, older adults exhibit diverse capacities that contribute to disaster resilience (1). This poster presents a structured overview of the methods and key findings of a scoping review examining factors that promote and inhibit disaster resilience among older adults. The study was conducted within the BMFTR-funded LifeGRID project. A total of 970 studies were identified through searches in 2 databases (PubMed & CINAHL). After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 77 studies were included in the final analysis. A total of 282 factors were extracted and categorized into three domains, each including promoting, inhibiting, and ambivalent factors. The preliminary findings indicate that on an individual level the disaster resilience of older adults is influenced through their health status (i.e. comorbidities, physical ability) and coping behaviors (i.e. adaption, optimism). Among the most frequently identified factors on a social level is social support for themselves or to others. Additionally, access to healthcare systems (i.e. nursing service, medication) emerges as a critical determinant on a structural level. Older adults should be considered particularly as vulnerable in the context of natural disasters; however, they are not defenseless. They rather possess a wide range of capacities and competencies that -if available and accessible- show their resilience in disaster situations. A nuanced understanding of this population group is therefore essential for both disaster risk reduction strategies and public health research.
Peng Y, Chen Q, Xu H, Shi M, Li L, Wu XV. The prevalence and risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety among older survivors post-earthquake: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2025;370:168–80.
Key messages: • Older adults in natural disasters are in a vulnerable position but are not overall defenseless.
• Disaster resilience of older adults are found on individual, social and structural level.
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BibTeX
@article{battenberg2026what,
title = {{What keeps older adults resilient in natural disasters? A scoping review}},
author = {R Battenberg and MM Otto and P Ehbrecht and H Zeeb and F Koppelin},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.814},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.814},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - What keeps older adults resilient in natural disasters? A scoping review
AU - R Battenberg
AU - MM Otto
AU - P Ehbrecht
AU - H Zeeb
AU - F Koppelin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.814
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.814
AB - Older Adults represent a large and steadily growing segment of the global population. Despite widespread generalizations emphasizing vulnerability, older adults exhibit diverse capacities that contribute to disaster resilience (1). This poster presents a structured overview of the methods and key findings of a scoping review examining factors that promote and inhibit disaster resilience among older adults. The study was conducted within the BMFTR-funded LifeGRID project. A total of 970 studies were identified through searches in 2 databases (PubMed & CINAHL). After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 77 studies were included in the final analysis. A total of 282 factors were extracted and categorized into three domains, each including promoting, inhibiting, and ambivalent factors. The preliminary findings indicate that on an individual level the disaster resilience of older adults is influenced through their health status (i.e. comorbidities, physical ability) and coping behaviors (i.e. adaption, optimism). Among the most frequently identified factors on a social level is social support for themselves or to others. Additionally, access to healthcare systems (i.e. nursing service, medication) emerges as a critical determinant on a structural level. Older adults should be considered particularly as vulnerable in the context of natural disasters; however, they are not defenseless. They rather possess a wide range of capacities and competencies that -if available and accessible- show their resilience in disaster situations. A nuanced understanding of this population group is therefore essential for both disaster risk reduction strategies and public health research. Peng Y, Chen Q, Xu H, Shi M, Li L, Wu XV. The prevalence and risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety among older survivors post-earthquake: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2025;370:168–80. Key messages: • Older adults in natural disasters are in a vulnerable position but are not overall defenseless. • Disaster resilience of older adults are found on individual, social and structural level.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -