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Abstract

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

  • 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.
  • 17.2% of respondents reported that their child had symptoms of psychological distress.
  • Respondents experienced 0.6 (SD 1.0) natural disasters, on average, in addition to Hurricane Katrina.
  • 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.
  • Family functioning, parental coping, and caregiver mental health were independently associated with adolescent psychological distress.

Author Biography

Gabriella Meltzer is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at New York University School of Global Public Health. Dr. Meghan Zacher is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brown University’s Population Studies and Training Center and Data Science Initiative. Dr. Alexis Merdjanoff is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at New York University School of Global Public Health. NhuNgoc Pham is a Doctoral Student in Global Community Health & Behavioral Sciences at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. Dr. Mai Do is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Global Community Health & Behavioral Sciences at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. Dr. David Abramson is a Clinical Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at New York University School of Global Public Health.

Acknowledgements

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P01HD082032. General support was provided by the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, which receives funding from the National Institutes of Health (P2C HD041020). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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