New Zealand Journal of Psychology Vol. 43, No. 2, July 2014 • 4 • C. Rowney, P. Farvid, C. Sibley O n September 4, 2010 at 4:34am, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Christchurch in New Zealand. There was no loss of life as a result of this earthquake, however many people were seriously injured and countless more left homeless. There was widespread damage to property and local infrastructure. Thousands of aftershocks of varying intensity were recorded in the following months (Kuijer, Marshal, & Bishop, 2014). Geonet records showed 780 aftershocks in the frst week alone, and most of these were 4.0 in magnitude (Roome, n.d). This paper reports on a qualitative analysis of Christchurch residents’ open-ended, written responses to the September earthquake of 2010 provided as part of a larger ongoing national survey (the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, or NZAVS). The psychological outcomes of natural disasters have been extensively investigated. We know that natural disasters affect people in a number "I laugh and say I have ‘Earthquake Brain!’": Resident responses to the September 2010 Christchurch Earthquake of ways, resulting in a range of short- term and long-term stressors that affect individuals’ health and well- being (Bonanno, Brewin, Kaniasty & La Greca, 2010). Given the right resources and responses to need, most people return to a reasonably stable level of mental health (Mooney et al., 2011). A small minority, however, will experience long-term and persistent psychological distress (Bonanno et al., 2010; Freedy, Saladin, Kilpatrick, Resnick, & Saunders, 1994). Pervasive and signifcant mental health diffculties are more likely to occur when a natural disaster results in large-scale injuries or mortality, mass devastation and property damage, interruption in the provision of social services, and continued economic turmoil within the community (Shultz, Marcelin, Madanes, Espinel, & Neria, 2011). Psychosocial diffculties linked to the aftermath of different natural disasters include: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance use, sleep disturbances, various psychosomatic ailments, domestic violence and divorce, cognitive impairment and diminished task performance (Bonanno et al., 2010; Kemp, Helton, Richardson, Blampied, & Grimshaw., 2011; Helton & Head, 2012; Morrissey & Reser, 2007; Freedy, Shaw, Jarrell, & Masters, 1992). Psychological Impacts a) Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder commonly found following a traumatic experience or event (APA, 2000). Features of PTSD include intense fear resulting in vivid recollections or reliving of an event; avoidance of people, thoughts, feelings, or places associated with the triggering event; and long-lasting periods of increased autonomic arousal (APA, 2000). Two of the strongest predictors of PTSD, and ongoing psychological distress, are physical injury and perceived threat to one’s life (Schultz et al, 2011). Research found high incidences of acute and chronic PTSD in adults following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Kreamer et al., 2009), and following the Iceland earthquakes in 2000 (Bödvarsdóttir & Elklit, 2004). However Bonanno and colleagues (2010) report that high incidences of severe psychological difficulties are only observed in a relatively small percentage of the population and rarely exceed the 30% mark. High rates of PTSD are often reported in studies where the participants have been recruited following the disaster. This may result in a sampling bias which risks overestimating PTSD. Bonanno et al., 2010 argue that a major This paper reports on a qualitative analysis of 191 Christchurch residents’ written responses to the September earthquake of 2010. The data comes from Wave II of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Survey (NZAVS) collected in November and December of 2010. When completing the NZAVS, participants in the Canterbury region were given the opportunity to provide open-ended responses about how the earthquake affected them. Qualitative responses were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, and common themes in participant’s responses were identifed. Four main themes emerged: psychological impacts; material/fnancial impact; coping strategies; and “the silver lining”. These themes are presented and discussed alongside their implications for disaster research. A series of recommendations for future disaster relief are provided. We hope that this research may provide a voice for some of the participants in the broader NZAVS project who experienced the 2010 Christchurch earthquake. These are voices that need to be heard. KEY WORDS. disaster relief, psychological impacts, Christchurch earthquake 2010, residents’ responses, thematic analysis. Casey Rowney, Auckland University of Technology Panteá Farvid , Auckland University of Technology Chris G. Sibley, University of Auckland