Sustaining the helpers: Mixed methods study of volunteers’ resilience in coastal disaster Java

Abstract

Recurrent climate-driven flooding in the low-lying coastal communities of Demak, Central Java, significantly strains local capacity and tests disaster volunteer resilience. Following two major floods in March 2024, Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) volunteers engaged in a 2-month emergency response. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study investigated the levels of volunteer resilience and the multisystem factors that support them. A survey was conducted with 69 PMI volunteers (aged 18–55 years) using an adapted Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), followed by semi-structured interviews with 17 participants, including volunteers, family members and PMI staff. Descriptive statistical and thematic analyses were used, and the findings were integrated through a joint display. Findings indicated that 63.8% of participants exhibited moderate resilience, with personal competence and internal trust showing relatively higher prominence. The qualitative findings identified five themes contributing to disaster volunteer resilience: personal competence, spirituality, cultural values, emotional support and functional support.
Contribution: This study extends disaster risk scholarship by showing that disaster volunteer resilience in a flood-prone coastal setting is sustained through multisystem interactions rather than individual capacity alone. The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings highlights resilience resources that are not fully captured by standard quantitative indicators, including culturally rooted values, familial support, collective spirituality and organisational functional support. These findings provide context-specific insights for strengthening affiliated volunteer support in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response.