Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
Volume 19, Issue 6, 2016, Pages 753-768

Inside the earthquake: Perceived disaster exposure and helping intentions among Italian and immigrant victims of the 2012 Italian earthquakes (Article)

Andrighetto L.* , Vezzali L. , Bergamini G. , Nadi C. , Giovannini D.
  • a University of Genova, Italy
  • b University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • c University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • d University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • e University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to investigate the psychological processes driving outgroup helping intentions among ethnic groups actually involved in natural disasters. We proposed that disaster exposure would be associated with different degrees of outgroup helping intentions depending on victim’s ethnic group of belonging. Specifically, based on an integration between the common ingroup identity model (Gaertner & Dovidio, 2000) and the integrated threat theory (Stephan & Stephan, 2000), we hypothesized that perceived disaster exposure would be negatively associated with ethnic majorities’ altruistic intentions via increased outgroup threat, and it would be positively associated with ethnic minorities’ altruistic intentions via enhanced one-group perception. The findings of our research conducted with Italian natives (i.e., majority group) and immigrants (i.e., minority group) struck by the 2012 Northern Italian earthquakes fully supported our predictions. Implications of these findings for developing “altruistic” communities in postdisaster contexts are discussed together with the importance of considering the combined contribution of different psychological theories. © 2015, © The Author(s) 2015.

Author Keywords

common ingroup identity outgroup threat Natural disasters outgroup helping

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84991768974&doi=10.1177%2f1368430215591040&partnerID=40&md5=8bc86c6f6390241d9997fde48768deca
DOI: 10.1177/1368430215591040
ISSN: 13684302
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English