Suicide ideation and a post-disaster assessment of risk and protective factors among Hurricane Harvey survivors.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have documented evidence of increased suicidality after natural disasters. While there is some disagreement about when and how long mental health consequences are sustained in the post-disaster setting, it is nevertheless an important outcome requiring further examination.

METHOD

In the present study, a sample of Hurricane Harvey survivors (n=316) were interviewed over a three-month period beginning in October 2017, two months after a Category 4 hurricane devastated the Texas Gulf Coast. Using logistic regression, the analysis examines sociodemographic vulnerabilities, as well as individual risks that potentially exacerbate and protections that mitigate the odds of suicide ideation among survivors.

RESULTS

Approximately 10 percent of the sampled survivors reported suicide ideation post-Hurricane Harvey. Females, persons with elevated symptoms of post-traumatic stress symptoms, persons reporting moderate to high levels of food insecurity, and those with previous mental health issues were related to higher odds in reported suicide ideation. We examined a number of protective factors and religious social capital and optimism were both negative and statistically significant (p < 0.05) and related to lower odds of suicide ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, these findings are the first to come out of the Hurricane Harvey disaster zone, specifically focusing on suicide ideation. Mental health professionals need to continue to be sensitive to the nuance of disaster impact on the psychological functioning of survivors, with potential negative mental health symptoms persisting 6 to 12 months after a natural disaster event.