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Abstract
The current study examined mental health symptomology, substance use, and adaptive coping among 416 social work students following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Among participants, 47% scored at or above the clinical level for depression, with 6% of students showing clinical PTSD-like symptoms, and 16.9% reporting substance use. Two thirds (66.9%) employed 8 of the 10 adaptive coping responses. Negative cognitive and emotional reactions to the hurricanes correlated positively with mental health symptomology and 7 of the 10 adaptive coping responses. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, it is critical to provide students with education, information, and close supervision to address issues around impairment and vulnerability and to maximize resilience.