The management of acute stress reactions following disasters and mass violence generally aims to foster resiliency, prevent chronic emotional problems, and minimize long-term deterioration in quality of life. Knowing who can benefit the most from acute postdisaster intervention involves having an understanding of risk and resilience factors for different groups. There are interesting discrepancies in the field of disaster research concerning these factors in older adults. On the one hand, there appears to be a certain level of resilience in older adults. A number of reviews of the disaster literature conclude that in postdisaster settings older adults tend to report lower levels of distress and fewer impairments in psychological functioning than do younger adults. It appears that when other factors (e.g., depression, anxiety) are controlled ...