Study: Exposure to disasters can result in declining mental health

CENTRAL TEXAS — When dangerous weather becomes a threat, it’s natural for people to be stressed and scared.

But a recent study found that repeated disaster experiences can take a significant toll on a person’s well-being.

Texas’ wide variety of climates means there is a chance that a natural disaster will strike in any given season. Some Texans have had to live through both weather emergencies and man-made disasters, an issue that can have a huge impact on a person’s mental health.

“The problem is that there is not a single part of a person’s life and world that is not affected by a disaster, and that is not affected by the stress, fear and anxiety that come along with the disaster,” he said. Christina Gibson, from the Texas Behavioral Health Heart Network senior crisis advisory team.

That impact was the focus of a recent study at the Texas A&M School of Public Health.

Garett Sansom, a research assistant professor at the school, was part of a team that sought to understand the link between disaster exposure and mental well-being.

They found that living through a dangerous event does not improve “mental toughness.”

“What we’re really finding is the opposite,” Sansom said. “As you have more and more of these experiences, you are at higher risk for reduced mental health.”

In other words, the findings directly refute the old adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Repeated exposure increases the risk of deteriorating mental health. The team assessed various levels of impairment among study subjects and calculated a composite score for each person. Those who were exposed to two or more disasters within five years were more likely to experience mental health problems.

The study looked at people in the Houston area, but the authors say the data is applicable to anyone who has dealt with a catastrophe. The dangers were not limited to natural disasters like weather. The study also took into account industrial incidents.

“When someone has more than one disaster, they start living in that place of highest stress, highest anxiety or highest fear, where they were never meant to live, and that was supposed to be a passing point,” Gibson said.

After a disaster, recovery efforts often take the form of donated goods and financial assistance, but the study highlights the need for mental support as part of the recovery process.

“Being able to provide that kind of mental health assistance at the state or national level, or even at the city level, after dangerous events is also very important,” Sansom said.

According to Sansom, conditions like PTSD can arise from repeated experiences with catastrophes, but not everyone affected by a disaster may require long-term care.

“You don’t necessarily need a mental health admission. You don’t need to go to the emergency room,” said Vince Erickson, director of the Texans Recovering Together crisis counseling program. “You just need mental help and emotional support to get through these things in the short term.”

The COVID-19 pandemic also qualifies as a disaster, but because the study was conducted shortly before the pandemic began, the authors were unable to draw any conclusions about the impact of the virus. Those investigations will be carried out in the future.