Buffering Effects for Negative Life Events: The Role of Material, Social, Religious and Personal Resources

Abstract

The changes in subjective wellbeing experienced following negative life events can be buffered by various types of resources. In the present article, we compare the influences of material, religious, social and personality resources using the Swiss Household Panel in a unified framework. Fixed effects regression models are estimated for four negative life events: separation, death of a closely related person, unemployment and disability. Buffering effects are estimated by interacting time since the event with the amount of resources. Religious resources show the strongest buffering whereas material resources do not seem to buffer consequences of negative life events. Social and personality resources present mixed results.