Study finds repeated exposure to natural disasters has long-term mental health impacts

Texas [US]: According to a recent research, repeated exposure to major disasters does not make people mentally stronger and leads to long-term mental health issues.
The study has been published in the 'Natural Hazards Journal'.
"We discovered the reverse of the adage 'what does not kill you makes you stronger,'" said the study's lead author Garett Sansom, research assistant professor in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the School of Public Health.
Sansom and a team of Texas A&M researchers studied individuals from the Houston area, which is susceptible to hurricanes and flooding as well as industrial emergencies.
From 2000 to 2020, Texas -- one of the states most prone to natural disasters -- experienced 33 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared major disasters. Many of these -- hurricanes, winter weather, drought, and flooding -- impacted the Houston area. The area has also been impacted by emergencies such as explosions and chemical releases at nearby industrial facilities.
According to the research team, the combination of natural disasters and emergencies from industrial facilities presented a unique opportunity to observe the impacts.
"There is an unfortunate truth that many communities that reside along the Gulf Coast are at the nexus of exposures from natural and anthropogenic, or human-caused, hazards," Sansom said. (ANI)

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