The Effects of Cumulative Natural Disaster on Adolescent Psychological Distress

Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and destructive due to climate change and have been shown to be associated with a variety of adverse mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. This study utilizes data from three cohort studies of Hurricane Katrina survivors--including low-income mothers from New Orleans; displaced and highly impacted families from Louisiana and Mississippi; and Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans--to examine the relationship between cumulative natural disaster exposure and adolescent psychological distress approximately 13 years after Katrina. Among 648 respondents with children ages 10-17, 112 (17.2%) reported that their child had exhibited one or more symptoms of psychological distress in the past month. Overall, respondents had experienced an average of 0.6 (SD 1.0) natural disasters following Hurricane Katrina. Each additional natural disaster experienced by the respondent was associated with 1.41 (95% CI 1.05, 1.88) greater odds of his or child experiencing psychological distress in the past month. This relationship was not significantly moderated by any measures of family resilience or vulnerability, nor by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status, although family functioning, parental coping, and caregiver mental health were independently associated with adolescent psychological distress. The results of this analysis suggest that natural disasters have cumulative, detrimental impacts on adolescent mental health. Key Take Away Points: (1) 648 participants from three longitudinal cohorts impacted by Hurricane Katrina were surveyed in 2018 on their co-resident adolescents' psychological distress in the past month; (2) 17.2% of respondents reported that their child had symptoms of psychological distress; (3) Respondents experienced 0.6 (SD 1.0) natural disasters, on average, in addition to Hurricane Katrina; (4) Each additional natural disaster experienced by the respondent was associated with 1.40 (95% CI 1.05, 1.88) greater odds of his or child experiencing psychological distress in the past month; and (5) Family functioning, parental coping, and caregiver mental health were independently associated with adolescent psychological distress.