As the natural disasters caused by climate change become more frequent, it is essential to understand how they affect people’s mental health, as well as identify what are the factors that increase or reduce that impact to better plan the social and health response in a world increasingly exposed to these extreme phenomena.
A group of researchers has analyzed how the mental health of people had suffered damage to their homes in Australia because of natural disasters such as floods, forest fires or cyclones Between 2009 and 2019, with the aim of observing how psychological symptoms changed after experiencing one or more disasters, and if the time between an event and the following influence on their emotional recovery.
To carry out this research, which has been published in the magazine The Lancet Public HealthThey used population data over a decade and compared mental health before and after disasters. They also compared the affected people with others who had not lived these events, and analyzed how different risk factors influenced, such as economic situation, previous health or the place of residence.
Be prepared to face repeated climatic crises
The researchers verified that Each new disaster had a cumulative impact on mental health And the more often the events occurred, worse were their effects. In fact, the results revealed that the people who suffered a second disaster without having had enough time to recover from the first (for example, with only 1 or 2 years apart), presented greater emotional deterioration than those who had had more time between one event and another (3 years or more).
In addition, after a second disaster, the process of emotional recovery was slower, and in some cases those affected did not manage to recover their previous state. The study also identified some factors that influence vulnerability; Thus, having social support helped better cope with crises, while having chronic diseases, low income, or living in rural areas increased the risk of suffering greater psychological impact.
The results of this study confirm that living several climatic disasters not only has a more detrimental effect on mental health, but can also prolong emotional suffering and hinder recovery. The results underline the urgent need to take into account these accumulated experiences in health care plans, social services and public policies. According to the authors, it is not enough to act after a punctual disaster, but you have to prepare for a scenario in which climatic crises can be repeated frequently and unevenly affect different people and communities.
“Exposure to important accumulated stress factors can exhaust people’s response resources and highlights the need to strengthen psychological first aid” “
Maria KangasDirector of the Faculty of Psychological Sciences of the Macquarie University, executive member of the Smart Green Cities Research Center and member of the LifeSpan Health and Wellbeing Research Center (Australia), which has not participated in the study has stood out in statements to SMC Spain In the case of people exposed to two or more successive catastrophes.
“Some of the main identified risk factors have important implications to help communities at risk to prepare and adapt to climate -related phenomen Exposure to important accumulated stress factors, whether consecutive natural catastrophes or in combination with health problems or pre -existing socioeconomic difficulties, can exhaust people’s response resources and highlights the need to reinforce psychological first aid and continuous support to these more vulnerable people and communities, ”he adds.
“However, it is vital to understand the permanent holistic needs of these communities. The joint design of future support services with these communities is essential to ensure that resources are adequate and beneficial for people and communities at risk. The financial impact of these disasters (including loss of means of subsistence and displacement) The total impact of meteorological phenomena in combination with the stress factors of everyday life, since climate -related phenomena does not occur in a vacuum, ”concludes the expert.
Source: www.webconsultas.com