On April 16, 2007 the worst mass shooting in U.S. history occurred on the Virginia Tech campus. Research following other incidents of mass violence, including the September 11th terrorist attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing, suggests that such incidents can impact the well being of whole communities, not just individuals directly affected by the violence. However, our understanding of what predicts changes in adjustment following exposure to mass violence has been limited by a lack of information about the status of individuals prior to the event. Also often lacking is reliable information about what people do during and shortly after mass stressors, even though this is likely to affect longer-term adjustment. The proposed study leverages pre-existing data from an unrelated study collected from undergraduate women attending Virginia Tech at the time of the shooting, to provide a baseline measure of social support and adjustment. Information concerning exposure to the shootings and post-event variables such as adjustment, coping, social support, help provided to others, and adherence to culturally valued beliefs (e.g., benevolence of the world) will be gathered longitudinally. This will allow the examination of coping strategies used during and shortly after the event (especially approach vs. avoidance coping) which may determine how factors such as prior adjustment and exposure to the event relate to later adjustment. The role of proposed resiliency-promoting factors such as perceived social support and help provided to others on psychological adjustment will also be examined. A total of 834 undergraduate women at Virginia Tech who completed an online study before the shootings will be recruited to participate in two online assessments, the first 7-8 weeks after the shooting and the second 15-16 weeks later. The early assessment allows for more accurate recall of experiences surrounding the shooting as well as short-term coping behaviors; the latter assessment allows a test of how short-term behaviors affect longer term-reactions. The project will enhance understanding of key risk and resilience factors that affect changes in adjustment and well-being following mass traumas. In addition to informing theory on this topic, knowledge gains could inform the promotion of resilient responses to future incidents of mass violence.
