The Aftermath of Evacuation: How Natural Disasters Impact Parents, Children, Trust and Community Resilience

The research examined 636 parents, including 300 evacuees and 336 non-evacuated individuals. The findings indicated that a higher percentage of evacuated parents (45.7%) experienced post-traumatic symptoms compared to the 32.4% in the comparison group. These symptoms included intrusive thinking, avoidance of trauma triggers, changes in cognitive function and mood, and hyperarousal.

Moreover, the study revealed that evacuated parents reported more serious aggression issues in their children (61.1%) than before the evacuation (40.5%), a significant increase compared to the 40.5% reported in the comparison group. Additionally, social problems were more prevalent among the children of evacuees, with 29.4% of evacuee parents reporting serious social issues compared to 17.9% in the comparison group.

Furthermore, the study examined trust and community resilience among evacuees. Only 23.3% of evacuees believed that local authorities were functioning effectively, lower than the 36.9% in the comparison group. Additionally, only 22% of evacuees reported trust in decision makers in their local authority, compared to 30.1% in the comparison group.

Overall, this study highlights how natural disasters can have long-lasting effects on individuals’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as on their relationships with others and their sense of community resilience during times of crisis