Repeated exposure to climate disasters leads to worse mental health with slower recovery times, according to new University of Melbourne research.
Mental health worsens even more when an individual experiences multiple climate disasters within a shorter time frame, such as one or two years apart.
The longitudinal study looked at individuals across Australia who have experienced repeated exposure to disasters such as floods, bushfires or cyclones. The study, which draws on data from 2009-2019, was published in The Lancet Public Health journal today.
The authors are calling for changes to how communities are supported after repeat disasters, including a new screening process for general practitioners (GPs) and improved planning for disaster recovery support.
"Unfortunately we know that future generations will experience multiple disasters throughout their lifetimes and it is now estimated that children born today are expected to experience seven times more disasters across their lifetimes than past generations," said Dr Claire Leppold, Research Fellow in Community Resilience at the University of Melbourne's School of Population and Global Health.
"We are starting to get a better picture of what people need in their recovery after disasters and what we can do to ensure that health services, governments and emergency service organisations can effectively support people through multiple disasters."
"On the basis of these findings, we argue that clinical services, such as GPs, need to screen for past disaster exposures, and emergency services need to reach at-risk groups and ensure that planning for recovery considers the effects of past disasters, not just the most recent disaster."
The study looked at more than 1500 people exposed to at least one disaster. Their mental health outcomes were compared to 3880 Australians with similar sociodemographic profiles who did not experience disasters during the same period.
Director of the Disaster, Climate and Adversity Unit at the University of Melbourne, Professor Lisa Gibbs, said it was increasingly important to understand the public health impacts of multiple disaster exposures in a climate-changed world.
"The detailed new findings in this study are exactly what is needed to help guide the necessary changes in disaster planning and recovery services."
