Most people respond to natural disasters with resilience—a poster award from the German Psychotherapy Congress goes to Lea M. Schaubruch of the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR)

From June 8 to 12, 2026, the fifth German Psychotherapy Congress took place in Berlin, focusing on the theme “Science and Practice in Dialogue: Putting Findings to Use, Improving Care Sustainably.” The congress aims to promote dialogue between research, practice, education, health policy, and the public.

Once again this year, outstanding posters were honored with awards. Among the award-winning works was the poster by Lea M. Schaubruch (Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz) titled “Resilience After Natural Disasters: An Overview of Psychological Adaptive Responses and Effective Protective Factors.”

The poster focuses on two research questions: What patterns of psychological distress or mental health most commonly occur after natural disasters, and how frequently do they occur? What individual, social, and societal factors promote resilience after natural disasters?

To answer these questions, the results of 26 studies on psychological adaptation processes and 12 studies on resilience factors were synthesized in a systematic review with a meta-analysis. The analyses are based on ResiMETA, a database on psychological adaptation processes and resilience factors developed at the LIR and continuously updated; in addition to Lea M. Schaubruch, Svenja Mrugalla (LIR), Sophie Streit (Technical University of Braunschweig), Prof. Dr. Sarah K. Schäfer (LIR), and Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb (LIR). The results show that approximately 68% of people respond resiliently to natural disasters. The evidence on resilience factors is generally inconsistent, with the most evidence to date pertaining to social factors. For example, people who perceive more social support exhibit more favorable adaptive responses following natural disasters, meaning they are more likely to maintain their mental health. However, many resilience factors have not yet been sufficiently researched in the context of natural disasters, so there remains a significant need for further research in this area.

The LIR warmly congratulates Lea M. Schaubruch and the research team on this well-deserved poster award at this year’s German Psychotherapy Congress.