Abstract. Empirical evidence of the relationship between social support and
post-disaster mental health provides support for a general beneficial effect
of social support (main-effect model; Wheaton, 1985). From a theoretical
perspective, a buffering effect of social support on the negative
relationship between disaster-related stress and mental health also seems
plausible (stress-buffering model; Wheaton, 1985). Previous studies, however, (a) have
paid less attention to the buffering effect of social support and (b) have mainly relied on interpersonal support (but not collective-level
support such as community resilience) when investigating this issue. This previous
work might have underestimated the effect of support on post-disaster mental
health. Building on a sample of residents in Germany recently affected by
flooding (N=118), we show that community resilience to flooding (but not
general interpersonal social support) buffered against the negative effects
of flooding on post-disaster mental health. The results support the
stress-buffering model and call for a more detailed look at the relationship
between support and resilience and post-disaster adjustment, including
collective-level variables.