CopingCoping with natural disastersNatural disaster is significantly supported by social relations, prosocial attitudes, and positive beliefs such as self-esteem and self-confidence. While disaster managementDisaster management often aims to enhance these factors, research on the feasibility of implementing such programs and their effectiveness remains limited. Additionally, the role of self-help groupsSelf-Help Groups (SHG) in promoting community ownership and sustainability of development programs across South Asia remains underexplored in disaster managementDisaster management contexts. To address these gaps, the present study investigates the role of self-help groupSelf-Help Groups (SHG) (SHG) membership on psychosocial factorsPsychosocial factors that enhance disaster preparednessDisaster preparedness. Structured in-person interviews were conducted in two districts of KeralaKerala, India, with 410 SHG members and 190 non-SHGSelf-Help Groups (SHG) members. The study focused on AmritaSREE, a SHG network established after the 2004 Indian Ocean TsunamiTsunami, which currently empowers over 200,000 womenWomen nationwide. Findings show that SHG membership enhances self-esteem, altruism, and the size of the social network. These results emphasize the potential of SHGs to build community resilienceCommunity resilience and highlight significant implications for government policies on disaster risk reductionDisaster risk reduction in developing countries, where the capacities of SHGsSelf-Help Groups (SHG) are often overlooked in this context.