Posttraumatic growth as a moderator of the association between flood anxiety and mental health symptoms: evidence from a flood-prone community in the Philippines

Flood-prone communities face repeated and intensifying flooding that threatens their lives, livelihoods, and properties. Yet, limited research has examined their flood anxiety and its link with negative mental health outcomes. There is a dearth of research that investigates the role of posttraumatic growth as a potential psychological resource among residents in flood-prone communities. This study examined the moderating role of posttraumatic growth on the relationship between flood anxiety and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among adult residents in one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, the Philippines. Cross-sectional data were collected through paper-and-pencil and online questionnaires among adult residents (N = 240) of Nangka village in Marikina, the Philippines, using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using moderation analysis with 5000 bootstrap resamples. Our analysis revealed that flood anxiety was positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas posttraumatic growth was negatively associated with depression symptoms. Findings showed that the positive associations between flood anxiety and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress became weaker at higher levels of posttraumatic growth. Limitations, recommendations, and implications for community disaster and mental health programs and policies were discussed.