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The study examined the resilience and coping of samples from Ukraine and five nearby countries during the war in Ukraine. The research focused on (1) the levels of community and societal resilience of the Ukrainian respondents compared with the populations of five nearby European countries and (2) commonalities and diversities concerning coping indicators (hope, well‐being, perceived threats, distress symptoms, and sense of danger) across the examined countries. A cross‐sectional study was conducted, based on data collection through Internet panel samples, representing the six countries' adult populations. Ukrainian respondents reported the highest levels of community and societal resilience, hope, and distress symptoms and the lowest level of well‐being, compared to the population of the five nearby European countries. Hope was the best predictor of community and societal resilience in all countries. Positive coping variables, most notably hope, but also perceived well‐being are instrumental in building resilience. While building resilience on a societal level is a complex, multifaceted task, various dimensions must be considered when planning actions to support these states. It is essential to monitor the levels of resilience, during and following the resolution of the crisis, both in Ukraine and in the neighboring countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Risk perception illustrates the subjective evaluation of individuals concerning the characteristics, severity, and capacity to cope with potential hazards. Risk perception influences attitudes and actions individuals take to protect themselves from future threats. Risk perceptions might change among different stakeholder groups such as society and first responders. Identifying risk perceptions of stakeholders is essential to establish effective protective measures. Method: This study investigated the commonalities and diversities in risk perception among first responders and the public, within and between seven European and beyond countries. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from both first responders and civilians. They were asked to assess their risk perception level for five categories of risks (Extreme weather-related events, nature-related events, social disruptions, critical services dependencies, and pandemics). Results: Using Univariate Analysis of Variance showed disparity concerning both the levels of risk perception between the public and first responders, as well as their relative ranking. For example, concerning extreme weather-related and naturerelated events, risk perception levels of the first responders is higher than that of the population in six out of the seven studied countries. In contrast, the population's risk perception is higher compared to the first responders in six out of the seven countries, concerning critical infrastructure dependencies and pandemics. Discussion: The relative gaps between the first responders versus the population, within each country, vary considerably. Norway for example presents significant differences between the two internal populations concerning all risks (except for extreme weather), while in Sweden, no significant gaps were identified, concerning all five risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global conflicts and geopolitical tensions are causing mass displacement, making refugee integration a pressing issue. The aftermath of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has resulted in over 5 million internally displaced Ukrainians and more than 8 million refugees settling across Europe. The success of their integration relies on the hospitality and attitudes of citizens of host nations. This study investigates factors influencing attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees in seven nearby countries, focusing on resilience, and both positive and negative coping mechanisms. A cross-sectional questionnaire study gathered data mostly through Internet panel samples from Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Romania. The instruments employed in this present study include: attitudes towards refugees, societal resilience, individual resilience, community resilience, hope, morale, feeling safe at home, well-being, sense of danger, distress symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder, perceived threats, and government support. Attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees vary across nations, with Georgia and Estonia displaying the highest acceptance (3.92 and 3.29, respectfully), and Slovakia and the Czech Republic (2.63 and 2.5, respectfully) exhibiting lower levels of positivity. Societal resilience emerged as a key factor influencing positive attitudes towards refugees. Other predictors included hope, individual and community resilience, PTSD, education, gender, and perceived threats. Females and higher-educated individuals expressed more favorable attitudes. Fostering societal resilience and positive coping strategies is essential for refugees' integration, with targeted interventions, educational programs, and awareness campaigns playing a significant role in building empathy and aiding their acceptance. Policies should encourage social inclusion and economic opportunities for refugees and host communities, addressing negative societal attitudes. These findings may inform crisis support and policies enhancing attitudes toward refugees in host communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared three types of resilience (individual, community, and national resilience), two indicators of distress (sense of danger and distress symptoms) and wellbeing, among samples from Israel, Brazil, and the Philippines, during the "first-wave" of COVID-19 pandemic. Though significant differences were found among the samples regarding all variables, similarities were also emerged. Individual resilience and wellbeing negatively predicted distress symptoms in each sample, and women of all samples reported higher level of distress-symptoms compared with men. The differences between the samples are presented and discussed. Understanding the similarities and the differences, between these cultures, may help developing efficient countermeasures tailored to each country. This knowledge may promote efficient health policy to foster people's ability to cope with the hardship and to prevent future psychological and health implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Following major earthquakes, the vast majority of trapped survivors are rescued by layperson with the first 24–48 h. Most trapped individuals require only Light Search and Rescue (LSR). Therefore, there is sense in training members of the public in LSR competencies to upsurge survivability rates. Since the beginning of the school year 2017–8, all Israeli 10th graders have been undergoing such training. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of these training in terms of resilience, self-efficacy and knowledge. A cluster randomized study involving 19 clusters comprising of 35 schools was performed during the first semester of the school year. Students were asked to complete a self-reporting questionnaire before and after the LSR training. In total, 1758 questionnaires were collected, of which 1279 (~ 73%) were paired with both pre and post data. A significant increase was found in all indices. Resilience score increased from a mean of 2.85 (± 0.70 SD) pre-training to 3.95 (± 0.63 SD) following it (W = 29.451, p <.001). This difference constitutes a very large effect size of d = 1.652 (95%CI: 1.525, 1.779). Significant increases were observed also for self-efficacy and knowledge. Differences across demographic variables were observes, e.g. between the genders, with boys reporting greater levels of resilience than girls. This study demonstrates that SLR trainings for high school students are capable of benefiting students' perception of resilience, self-efficacy and knowledge to perform during crisis. Moreover, the trainings have an equalizing effect on participants resulting in equally high levels of performance following training, despite pre-training differences. Highlights • Light Search and Rescue training for Israeli high-school students were performed. • The trainings were found to be beneficial in improving resilience, self-efficacy and knowledge. • The effect of the training on these measurements ranges from medium to high. • Participants finish the trainings with equally high levels of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following major disasters, there is a huge demand for assistance to casualties, which is often surpassing local capacities to cope. In particular, this is evident in the case of extracting trapped individuals from underneath the rubbles of collapsed buildings. To increase its rescuers' capacities, the state of Israel launched a nation-wide campaign to train high-school students in Light Search and Rescue (LSR) skills. The aim of this study is to explore the retention of perceived resilience, self-efficacy and knowledge following these trainings. A cluster randomized study involving 19 clusters comprising of 35 schools was performed during the first semester of the school year. Students were asked to complete a self-reporting questionnaire before, immediately after and six months following the LSR training. In total, 1,989 questionnaires were collected, of which 830 (∼42%) were paired with data from all three time points. A significant increase in all measurements was observed immediately post-training. This improvement was retained at significantly higher levels compared to before training, despite a downward trend in attitudes and skills retention. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of LSR training in improving trainees' perception of resilience, self-efficacy and knowledge in dealing with the consequences of major earthquakes. Moreover, the study shows that the improvements obtained are retained at significantly high levels even six months following the training. Engaging communities in LSR training can increase their resilience and empower them to better cope with adversities. • Light Search and Rescue training for Israeli high-school students were performed. • The trainings were found to be beneficial in improving resilience, self-efficacy and knowledge. • The effect was maintained six months post training, albeit slightly decreased. • Some participants were more inclined to retain the effect better than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]