Repeated exposure to major disasters does not make people mentally stronger, according to a recent study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health: People who have been repeatedly exposed to major disasters show reduced mental health scores.
Furthermore, the research team found that the more experience people had with such events, the lower their mental health.
We discovered the reverse of the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
Garett Sansom, study lead author, research assistant professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health
Sansom and a team of researchers from Texas A&M studied people in the Houston area, which is susceptible to hurricanes and floods, as well as industrial emergencies. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Natural Hazards.
From 2000 to 2020, Texas -; one of the states most prone to natural disasters -; experienced 33 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared major disasters. Many of these -; hurricanes, winter weather, drought and floods -; impacted the Houston area. The area has also been affected by emergencies such as explosions and chemical releases at nearby industrial facilities.
According to the research team, the combination of natural disasters and industrial facility emergencies presents a unique opportunity to observe impacts.
“There is an unfortunate truth that many communities that reside along the Gulf Coast are at the nexus of exposure to natural and anthropogenic or man-made hazards,” Sansom said.
The team used a 12-item short-form health survey to collect information. The survey evaluated the cumulative impacts of exposure to assess changes over time, producing a composite score for mental (MCS) and physical (PCS) health.
Most of the respondents reported that they experienced many dangerous events in the last five years. Hurricanes and floods (96.35 percent) were the most experienced events, followed by industrial fires (96.08), chemical spills (86.84), and tornadoes (79.82).
The team found that when people experienced two or more events in the past five years, their MCS averages fell below expected national levels.
“Mental health is often overlooked when responding to and preparing for exposure to hazards,” Sansom said. “However, to achieve community resiliency efforts, mental conditions must be taken into account.”
The study results help reveal the long-term mental impact hazards can have. More importantly, they underscore the need for targeted public health interventions for these people, as well as the communities where they reside.
Fountain:
Magazine reference:
Sansom, G.T. et al. (2022). Composite impacts of hazard exposure on mental health in Houston, TX. Natural Hazards. doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-05158-x.
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