The impact of the Black Summer bushfires and other natural disasters on psychological distress of young people: a population-based cohort analysis based on the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
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Objectives
To assess the impact of the Australian “Black Summer” bushfires and other disasters of 2019-2020 on adolescent psychological distress. For those exposed to a disaster test the types of disaster impacts associated with worse psychological distress.
Study design
Prospective, population-based cohort study; analysis of Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) survey data
Setting, participants
Adolescents in the nationally representative cross-sequential sample of Australian children recruited in 2004 for the Birth and Kindergarten cohort (aged 0-1 and 4-5 years at enrolment). Survey data from waves 9 (16-17 and 18-19 years for B and K Cohort) and waves 4 to 8 (8-10 and 10-11 years ).
Main outcome measures
Psychological distress measured by the Kessler 10-item questionnaire, K10.
Results
There were 2,726 respondents from the B and K Cohorts who had psychological distress information and demographic characteristics in Wave 9. At wave 9 10% were exposed to bushfires in the 12-months prior, 9% to a storm or cyclone, 18% to at least one disaster and, 7% exposed to more than one disaster. In the previous 10 years 28% had a disaster exposure (waves 4 to 8). The most common disaster impacts were threats to property (40%), impacts on holiday plans (31 %) and advised to evacuate (17%). Exposure to bushfires and storm/cyclone were associated with higher distress in a linear regression model controlling for both demographic characteristics and previous exposure to disasters. For those exposed to a disaster or bushfire those who were advised to evacuate had significantly higher distress in a linear regression model with the same covariates.
Conclusions
One-in-ten Australian adolescents were exposed to bushfires in 2019-2020 putting them at risk of a prolonged period of elevated psychological distress. For those who were advised to evacuate distress was even more pronounced and it is important to recognise that further mental health support may still be required.
