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Economics of Disaster Risk, Social Vulnerability, and Mental Health Resilience

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  • Sammy Zahran
  • Lori Peek
  • Jeffrey G. Snodgrass
  • Stephan Weiler
  • Lynn Hempel

Abstract

We investigate the relationship between exposure to Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita and mental health resilience by vulnerability status, with particular focus on the mental health outcomes of single mothers versus the general public. We advance a measurable notion of mental health resilience to disaster events. We also calculate the economic costs of poor mental health days added by natural disaster exposure. Negative binomial analyses show that hurricane exposure increases the expected count of poor mental health days for all persons by 18.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.44–31.14%), and by 71.88% (95% CI, 39.48–211.82%) for single females with children. Monthly time‐series show that single mothers have lower event resilience, experiencing higher added mental stress. Results also show that the count of poor mental health days is sensitive to hurricane intensity, increasing by a factor of 1.06 (95% CI, 1.02–1.10) for every billion (U.S.$) dollars of damage added for all exposed persons, and by a factor of 1.08 (95% CI, 1.03–1.14) for single mothers. We estimate that single mothers, as a group, suffered over $130 million in productivity loss from added postdisaster stress and disability. Results illustrate the measurability of mental health resilience as a two‐dimensional concept of resistance capacity and recovery time. Overall, we show that natural disasters regressively tax disadvantaged population strata.

Suggested Citation

  • Sammy Zahran & Lori Peek & Jeffrey G. Snodgrass & Stephan Weiler & Lynn Hempel, 2011. "Economics of Disaster Risk, Social Vulnerability, and Mental Health Resilience," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(7), pages 1107-1119, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:31:y:2011:i:7:p:1107-1119
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01580.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Norris, Fran H. & Tracy, Melissa & Galea, Sandro, 2009. "Looking for resilience: Understanding the longitudinal trajectories of responses to stress," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2190-2198, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hiroaki Ishiwata & Muneta Yokomatsu, 2018. "Dynamic Stochastic Macroeconomic Model of Disaster Risk Reduction Investment in Developing Countries," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(11), pages 2424-2440, November.
    2. Kevin Patrick Keenan, 2019. "Creating spaces of public insecurity in times of terror: The implications of code/space for urban vulnerability analyses," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 37(1), pages 81-101, February.
    3. Alberto Chong & Carla Srebot, 2023. "Environmental disasters and mental health: Evidence from oil spills in the Peruvian Amazon," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 771-796, May.
    4. Kevin Keenan, 2016. "Security is going to work: Everyday geographies, organizational traps, and the public administration of anti-terrorism policy," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(2), pages 239-255, February.
    5. Annetta Burger & Talha Oz & William G. Kennedy & Andrew T. Crooks, 2019. "Computational Social Science of Disasters: Opportunities and Challenges," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-31, April.
    6. Laetitia H. M. Schmitt & Hilary M. Graham & Piran C. L. White, 2016. "Economic Evaluations of the Health Impacts of Weather-Related Extreme Events: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, November.
    7. Annie Tubadji, 2021. "Culture and mental health resilience in times of COVID-19," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(4), pages 1219-1259, October.
    8. Sammy Zahran & Daniele Tavani & Stephan Weiler, 2013. "Daily Variation in Natural Disaster Casualties: Information Flows, Safety, and Opportunity Costs in Tornado Versus Hurricane Strikes," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(7), pages 1265-1280, July.

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