Date of Conferral

2-14-2024

Date of Award

February 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Victoria Sepulveda,

Abstract

The Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community of Baton Rouge, Louisiana experienced life-changing events after the August 2016 flooding event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Even after experiencing a traumatic event, survivors may display signs of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Previous researchers looked at the impact of social support and religious/spiritual beliefs on PTG, but results have historically been obtained from married, White, and Christian individuals. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the influence of religious/spiritual beliefs and social support on PTG. Data were collected from BIPOC participants who reside in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana through an online survey created in SurveyMonkey. PTG provided the conceptual framework for the study. Relevant data were collected through the Multidimensional Scale of Social Support (MSPSS), Brief RCOPE and Posttraumatic Growth Short Form (PTG-SF). The correlation between PTGI-SF and MSPSS was not statistically significant, with a p-value of 0. 202. Additionally, correlational findings for PTGI-SF and Brief RCOPE were not statistically significant, as the p-value was 0.213. However, a correlation analysis showed individuals with higher levels of PTG tended to have higher levels of perceived social support and religious coping strategies. This study contributes to social change by highlighting how social support systems and religious coping assists survivors following flooding events. It is imperative for further research to take place in order to create initiatives for communities routinely affected by natural disasters in the future.

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