From Storms to Solutions: Texas A&M Galveston Researcher Reveals How Mental Health and Economics Intersect in Disaster Recovery
Researcher’s findings reveal how psychological trauma and economic strain intertwine after disasters– and why social support is key to breaking the cycle.
The physical scars that Hurricane Katrina’s destruction left are all but gone after 20 years. Yet, the unseen mental trauma of experiencing hurricanes and other natural disasters remains long afterward. Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD) represent residual impacts to mental health that can hamper post-disaster recovery– a fact that Texas A&M Galveston researcher Dr. Meri Davlasheridze is familiar with firsthand.
“I gave birth to my daughter during hurricane Harvey.” she recalls. “That’s when you realize just how much suffering and distress people go through. Hospitals were locked down, there was no food available, the streets were flooded– it was a traumatic experience. It’s hard to believe I’ve lived through that.”
In her extensive work as an Environmental Economics researcher, Davlasheridze has revealed the often-overlooked links between mental health, economic resilience, and post-disaster recovery. Her work shows how psychological trauma and financial strain can feed into one another, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that shows recovery and destabilizes entire regions.
To accurately correlate intangible social variables like mental health to complex economic or environmental phenomena such as natural disasters, Davlasheridze uses econometric models. “It’s a statistical model where we use data that measures different socioeconomic and environmental aspects to explain the variations of mental health.” she explained. “In order for us to isolate the effects of disasters on mental health, we have to make sure there are no omitted factors that also affect mental health or correlate with other explanatory variables. Then, we can credibly claim causality.”
In a study she published in Social Indicators Research, she estimated econometric models to find a statistically significant association between natural disasters and increased poor mental health days. Her findings reveal that these mental health challenges affect more than merely individuals– they ripple through communities, reducing labor force participation, reducing job productivity, and negatively influence a wide range of socioeconomic outcomes.
After establishing a strong correlation between natural disasters and increased poor mental health days, her follow-up study explored how these psychological impacts translate into economic consequences. “We found that income growth is negatively affected by growing mental health problems.” she explained. “This is largely associated with workplace absences, lack of productivity, and lack of motivation that people might have– some individuals may even exit the labor market entirely.”
The economic impact of poor mental health is compounded by the long road to physical recovery after a hurricane. Even after the storm passes, personal property is often severely damaged. Critical infrastructure– like roads, hospitals and utilities– may be closed for weeks or months. Even if individuals escape direct damage, their communities do not, creating widespread disruption that can take a massive toll on local economies.
According to Dr. Davlasheridze, social support is a much-overlooked aspect in post-disaster mental health recovery. By adapting her econometric models and introducing a social capital variable constructed of the number of local churches, food banks, and nonprofit organizations, she discovered a clear trend: Communities with stronger social support networks experience fewer poor mental health days.
“Our findings show that in the counties where there are more community-based entities, such as churches and community support organizations, they generally have a fewer number of poor mental health days,” she explained. “Social support provides a way of counteracting some of the distress they experience after disasters.”
Dr. Davlasheridze offers practical advice drawn from over a decade of environmental economics research. Her first recommendation: Never ignore disaster warnings. Always secure and insure your home, and document any property damage as soon as possible. Equally important, she emphasizes the importance of being kind. “During disasters, just support one another.” she said. “Open doors, provide food and shelter – it all really helps with mental health. It helps people to realize they are not alone, they’re not forgotten, and their community cares for them.”
Toni Mooney Smith, MSC
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