Protective motivation, social support and emergency psychological resilience: evidence from China

Individual citizen activism plays a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of emergency response and is also a significant factor in strengthening urban safety resilience. Existing literature has explored psychological resilience in emergency across multiple scenarios and factors, yet insufficient attention has been paid to the relationship between an individual’s internal and external factors and emergency psychological resilience. Drawing on protective motivation theory and social support theory, a model was developed to elucidate the influence mechanisms underlying individual emergency psychological resilience in public crises. Utilizing 6841 questionnaires collected from 36 key cities across China, structural equation modelling was employed to validate the influence mechanisms concerning self-protection and social support on emergency psychological resilience. Our findings indicate that individuals’ awareness of emergencies, knowledge and skills related to emergencies, ability to acquire information about emergencies, risk assessment capabilities, coping strategies, and mutual community support are positively correlated with their levels of emergency psychological resilience. Conversely, developmental support and material assistance did not demonstrate any significant impact on this form of resilience. Furthermore, risk assessment mediates the relationship between emergency awareness, emergency knowledge and skills, material support and emergency psychological resilience. Coping assessment exhibits a significant mediating effect between emergency awareness, emergency knowledge and skills, mutual support, developmental support, material support and emergency psychological resilience. The research expands the scope of studies on emergency psychology and psychological resilience, offering valuable recommendations for policy supplies at the individual level in the construction of safety and resilient cities.