Relocation from areas at risk is a highly effective, yet contested response to natural hazards. Affected households must deal with multiple long-term impacts on their livelihoods and communities. This study explores coping processes of households subjected to a voluntary home buyout scheme in the Danube floodplain in Austria. In a longitudinal study with three yearly waves of semi-structured qualitative interviews, 79 households were monitored over the decision-making, formation, implementation, and stabilization phases of the relocation process. Coping applies not just to those who leave but also to those who stay. Cognitive restructuring, opposition, problem solving, rumination, and escape/avoidance emerge as main coping strategies. These strategies take different characteristics depending on life circumstances and the phase of the relocation process. Most households follow a life satisfaction trajectory of resilience, recovery, or delayed recovery; they either maintain normal functioning or return to it within 5 years after announcement of the relocation program. The relocation stressor plays a minor role compared with family, job, health, and partnership, unless the relocation coincides with a personal crisis that already overstretches coping capacities. Few households exhibit a trajectory of chronic distress and remain deadlocked in social withdrawal or rumination of the lost former residence. Besides material impacts, households show a broad array of psychosocial reactions that need accounting for by cost-benefit assessments of relocation programs. Program managers should encourage positive coping strategies (e.g., support problem solving by formulation of early, structured and realistic plans) and discourage negative strategies (e.g., pre-empt opposition with citizen participation).

中文翻译：

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洪水风险地区自愿搬迁计划中家庭的应对策略和生活满意度轨迹

从危险地区搬迁是对自然灾害的一种高效但有争议的应对措施。受影响的家庭必须应对对其生计和社区的多重长期影响。本研究探讨了在奥地利多瑙河泛滥平原接受自愿房屋买断计划的家庭的应对过程。在一项每年进行三轮半结构化定性访谈的纵向研究中，79 户家庭在搬迁过程的决策、形成、实施和稳定阶段接受了监测。应对不仅适用于离开的人，也适用于留下的人。认知重构、反对、解决问题、沉思和逃避/回避成为主要的应对策略。根据生活环境和搬迁过程的阶段，这些策略具有不同的特点。大多数家庭遵循弹性、恢复或延迟恢复的生活满意度轨迹；他们要么保持正常运作，要么在宣布搬迁计划后 5 年内恢复正常运作。与家庭、工作、健康和伙伴关系相比，搬迁压力源的作用很小，除非搬迁与已经超出应对能力的个人危机同时发生。很少有家庭表现出长期困扰的轨迹，并在社交退缩或沉思失去的故居方面陷入僵局。除了物质影响之外，家庭还表现出广泛的心理社会反应，需要通过搬迁计划的成本效益评估加以考虑。