Post-disaster Mental Health Status: A Mixed-Methods Study of Women from Chooralmala Landslide in Kerala, India

Background Natural disasters are associated with elevated emotional distress, but gender-specific evidence from Indian contexts remains limited. Objective To examine the emotional distress of women affected by the 2024 Chooralmala landslide (Wayanad, Kerala) using ¹ DASS-21 screening alongside qualitative interviews, and to identify support needs emergent in post-resettlement phases. Methods We used a cross-sectional mixed-methods design with snowball recruitment of 50 women (18–50 years) displaced by the landslide. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 ( ¹ DASS-21) were administered [language: English and Malayalam], and semi-structured interviews captured lived experiences. Qualitative data were analysed inductively following Braun and Clarke’s [23] six-phase framework. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results Mean scores indicated severe depression ( ² M=22.04, ³ SD=9.02) and severe anxiety (M = 19.24, SD = 8.29); stress was in the moderate range ( ² M=20.88, ³ SD=6.57). Themes describing the lived experience were: (1) sound-triggered fear and hyperarousal; (2) sleep disruption/night-time vulnerability; (3) emotional numbing and disconnection; (4) loss of motivation and future orientation; (5) grief and multifaceted loss; and (6) suicidal ideation/meaning crisis (reported by a minority). Conclusions Findings indicate substantial emotional distress among women surviving the landslide, with qualitative accounts underscoring persistent triggers in dispersed resettlement contexts. Results support the need for culturally responsive, trauma-informed, community-based services, with attention to night-time access and relapse prevention.