Severity of Disruption from Hurricane Maria among Students in Puerto Rico and their Recovery Methods Towards Occupational Balance
Event Type
Presentation
Start Date
12-1-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
12-1-2020 12:00 PM
Description
Purpose: Natural disasters impact the lives of the individuals who experience them; generally, the impact has immediate and persistent effects. This research study measured the occupational disruption experienced by college students who lived in Puerto Rico at the time that Hurricane Maria made landfall.
Method: Employing a mixed method approach, the researchers generated responses from 51 students using an online survey and a structured interview with open ended questions.
Results: The online survey provided numerical data that measured the severity of the experienced occupational disruption. The structured interview provided qualitative data on the recovery methods that the students utilized to maintain occupational balance. Our findings of the severity of disruption from the quantitative method were grouped into five subscales and the qualitative method were divided into eight themes. Blind to the research subjects, the 13-item questionnaire was classified into five scales (constructs): basic needs, student identity, transportation, and occupational balance.
Conclusions: Data analysis showed that the students interviewed were greatly impacted in all subscale areas. Recovery methods used by participants towards maintaining occupational balance were related to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's (SAMHSA) Recovery Model. Research limitations include the incongruency in the sample size from participant schools and the use of a questionnaire that has not been validated.
Recommended Citation
Carrasco, R. C., Velazquez De Jesus, M., Pereira, D., Smith, S., Morrill, J., Zelaya, M., & Fagins, K. (2020), Severity of Disruption from Hurricane Maria among Students in Puerto Rico and their Recovery Methods Towards Occupational Balance, Presentation, Sixth Annual Research Colloquium, https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ot_colloquium/sixth/events/1
Severity of Disruption from Hurricane Maria among Students in Puerto Rico and their Recovery Methods Towards Occupational Balance
Purpose: Natural disasters impact the lives of the individuals who experience them; generally, the impact has immediate and persistent effects. This research study measured the occupational disruption experienced by college students who lived in Puerto Rico at the time that Hurricane Maria made landfall.
Method: Employing a mixed method approach, the researchers generated responses from 51 students using an online survey and a structured interview with open ended questions.
Results: The online survey provided numerical data that measured the severity of the experienced occupational disruption. The structured interview provided qualitative data on the recovery methods that the students utilized to maintain occupational balance. Our findings of the severity of disruption from the quantitative method were grouped into five subscales and the qualitative method were divided into eight themes. Blind to the research subjects, the 13-item questionnaire was classified into five scales (constructs): basic needs, student identity, transportation, and occupational balance.
Conclusions: Data analysis showed that the students interviewed were greatly impacted in all subscale areas. Recovery methods used by participants towards maintaining occupational balance were related to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's (SAMHSA) Recovery Model. Research limitations include the incongruency in the sample size from participant schools and the use of a questionnaire that has not been validated.