Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Adults Displaced by Natural Disasters

How is displacement from home by natural disasters and the duration of the displacement associated with depression and anxiety symptoms among the US adult population?In a cross-sectional study of a weighted sample of 183 730 553 adults, natural disaster–induced displacement was associated with increased odds of reporting depression and anxiety symptoms. Individuals who did not return home in the past 12 months had the highest odds of mental health symptoms compared with those with shorter duration of displacement.As natural disasters increase in scale and frequency, there is an urgent need to address mental health care among adults displaced by natural disasters.

Corresponding Author: Ther W. Aung, PhD, The MetroHealth System at Case Western Reserve University, 2500 MetroHealth Dr, Cleveland, OH 44109 (twa21@case.edu).

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