Key takeaways

The recent Los Angeles wildfires and the lasting damages of the 2020 Black Summer in Australia are clear evidence that natural disasters are not only becoming pervasive but have long-term effects on the health and wellbeing of the population.

ANU researchers analysed reports from parents of 2,908 adolescents aged 14 to 19 who were exposed to natural hazards.

They found that bushfires and floods increased the risk of self-harm, self-harm ideation and suicidal thoughts.

This is the first national cohort study to examine the link between disasters and adolescents suicide, using data from Growing Up in Australia—a key longitudinal study tracking the development of 10,000 young people since 2004.

The frequency and duration of disasters have varying effects on adolescents

As the planet continues to overheat, the likelihood of multiple disasters ‘co-occurring’ has increased.

ANU experts studied three different types of multiple disasters.

Each type was linked to different impacts on the risk of self-harm and suicide:

• Compound disasters, where two or more disasters occurred in the last 12 months, increased the risk of suicidal ideation by 1.6 times.
• Cascading disasters, where disasters such as droughts were followed by fires or floods, led to an increased risk of self-harm by 2.5 times.
• Consecutive disasters, where multiple disasters took place within the last two years or over an eight-year period, were associated with significantly lower risk of suicidal ideation. The experts noted disasters spanning several years, such as the Millennium drought in southern Australia, can give people and communities time to adjust and build resilience over time.

Identifying mental health protective measures is key to minimising the negative effects of disasters

Exposure to natural disasters is believed to undermine youth mental health through a combination of factors, including direct trauma, the deterioration of parental mental health, the financial strain on households and climate anxiety.

In an intensifying climate crisis, ANU experts stress the importance of identifying protective strategies that can build resilience in adolescents’ mental health.

While Australian teenagers have shown considerable resilience to natural adversity, family, schools and communities can play an essential role in further supporting their wellbeing.

Previous research has shown that strengthening both financial support to disaster and local community engagement can be successful ways to respond and offset the negative consequences of natural disasters on families.

Although eradicating natural disasters is not possible, the ANU experts estimate that completely eliminating the impacts of disaster on the population would reduce:

• Suicide ideation rates by 2 percentage points (from a nationally representative base of 10.3 per cent)
• Self-harm ideation rates by 7 percentage points (from a nationally representative base of 18.4 per cent)
• Self-harm by 2 percentage points (from a nationally representative base of 9.5 per cent)

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