Personal resilience and coping abilities of extension agents post-hurricane

ABSTRACT

Purpose: While Extension agents should be ready to deal with recovery efforts, emotional stress can hinder their ability to respond effectively. This study sought to provide overall insights into Florida’s Extension agents’ ability to engage in post-hurricane response.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Resilience and coping literature facilitated a researcher-developed conceptual framework. A basic qualitative design explored hurricane experiences with nine UF/IFAS Extension agents through face-to-face and telephone interviews.

Findings: Participants likely had medium to high levels of personal resilience and varying levels of coping abilities. County differences, non-localized stressors, disaster training, and personal experience likely negatively affected agents’ coping abilities.

Practical Implications: There is scope to improve overall personal resilience by strengthening individual levels of hardiness and coping abilities through disaster training and development.

Theoretical Implications: The conceptual framework worked well to identify levels of personal resilience and coping abilities of agents. However, it should be tailored to include external factors likely affecting personal resilience by context of country and disaster.

Originality/Value: This research is the first to develop a resilience conceptual framework to describe UF/IFAS Extension agents’ level of engagement in hurricane response. Strengthening Extension’s post-hurricane response strategies can help ensure vibrant and resilient communities for current and future generations.

KEYWORDS:

• Community resilience
• coping
• Extension
• hurricane
• personal resilience
• post-disaster response

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Amanda D. Ali is a recent doctoral graduate. She completed her studies in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida. Her dissertation research focused on strengthening Extension's post-disaster response in hurricanes.

Amy Harder is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida. She teaches courses in Extension education and her research focuses on improving extension services in the U.S and abroad.

Angela Lindsey is an assistant professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences at the University of Florida. She focuses on community outreach programs to help improve community resilience in natural disasters.

Lisa Lundy is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida. She teaches courses in agricultural communication and has research interests in narrative storytelling, perceptions of food labels, and crisis communication.

T. Grady Roberts is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida. He teaches courses in agricultural education and focuses his research in global education and experiential learning.

ORCID

T. Grady Roberts http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7618-7850