Long-term displacement associated with health and stress among survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

Abstract

Displacement from one's home after a natural disaster results not only in physical separation from significant others but also in profound disruptions of psychological and social resources such as community support and sense of belonging. Frequent displacement can exacerbate health and mental health problems brought by the disaster, especially among lower-income families in resource-scarce regions. Objective: The present study examined the association among frequency of displacement after the disaster, health status, and psychological adjustments among survivors four years after the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Method: The study surveyed 345 typhoon survivors using randomized cluster samples in 13 towns in Eastern Philippines and assessed their physical and mental health status. Result: Path analysis revealed that, after controlling for age, gender, and traumatic exposure severity, frequency of displacement was a significant predictor for subjective health ratings and stress but not for posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Conclusion: These findings underscore the detrimental impact of long-term displacement on health outcomes following a disaster, especially in countries where public health resources are largely unavailable. Clinical Impact StatementThe finding that frequency of displacement predicted increased stress and decreased subjective health, over and above traumatic exposure severity, implies a need for long-term medical and psychological support for survivors who were displaced after a natural disaster. Given this evidence as to how displacement continues to impair the subjective and mental health of survivors several years after a natural disaster, public health officials could be better informed of the design of future postdisaster recovery programs.

Short‐term impacts of COVID‐19 on family caregivers: Emotion regulation, coping, and mental health

“…As in previous studies, female caregivers report greater distress than their male counterparts (Christie et al, 2019 ; van Ee et al, 2016 ). Although striking, these findings are in line with previous literature highlighting the high frequency of increased posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and coping difficulties following community‐wide disasters and mass crises (Bolt et al, 2018 ; Jose et al, 2019 ; Labarda, et al, 2020 ; Seto et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Psychological distress due to COVID‐19 reached moderate to severe levels around the world (e.g., Rodriquez‐Rey et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ), with evidence that women were particularly vulnerable (Blekas et al, 2020 ; Lopes & Jaspal, 2020 ; Ruiz‐Frutos et al, 2020 ). As with all segments of the population, responses to stressors for caregivers include increased stress, anxiety, and depression (e.g., Bolt et al, 2018 ; Labarda et al, 2020 ; Seto et al, 2019 ). Attempts to cope with this distress have well‐documented implications for long‐term mental health difficulties, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Kerns et al, 2014 ; Maeda & Oe, 2017 ; North, 2016 ).…”

The Protective Role of Parent Resilience on Mental Health and the Parent–Child Relationship During COVID-19

“…The negative mental health impacts from a wide range of disasters-including natural hazards and manmade eventscan lead to prolonged periods of increased psychiatric symptomology, including anxiety and depression [17][18][19][20][21]. During epidemic conditions, quarantine-related stressors that impact these mental health outcomes include prolonged duration of isolation, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies and information, financial loss, and stigma [5,22].…”

Initial Challenges of Caregiving During COVID-19: Caregiver Burden, Mental Health, and the Parent–Child Relationship

“…Experts caution that the COVID-19 pandemic is an instance of traumatic stress and will likely worsen existing mental health difficulties and lead to the development of new disorders in others for an extended period of time [14,15]. It is clear that exposure to a wide range of disasters negatively impacts mental health and can lead to prolonged periods of increased psychiatric symptomology, including anxiety and depression [16][17][18][19][20]. Further evidence suggests that child disaster outcomes are worst among children of highly distressed caregivers, or those caregivers who experience their own negative mental health outcomes from the disaster [21][22][23].…”