- Reported disaster exposure was associated with modest within-person declines in women's mental health and general health.
- Psychological distress increased but results were not statistically significant, making evidence for distress less conclusive.
- Event-study found no consistent persistent deterioration; differential pre-exposure trends limit causal claims but support considering women's health in disaster planning.
Glob Health Action. 2026 Dec 31;19(1):2752483. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2026.2752483. Epub 2026 Oct 27.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Disasters can have important consequences for health, yet much evidence is cross-sectional and cannot account for time-invariant individual heterogeneity.
OBJECTIVE(S): To examine the association between reported disaster exposure and women’s mental health, psychological distress, and general health using longitudinal Australian data.
METHODS: Data from women aged ≥ 15 years participating in Waves 9-22 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey were analysed. Individual and survey-wave fixed-effects models examined within-person associations between disaster exposure and mental health (MHI-5), psychological distress (Kessler-10), and SF-36 General Health. Sensitivity analyses considered long-term illness and single exposure. Dynamic associations were examined using the Callaway-Sant’Anna multiple-period difference-in-differences estimator with formal pre-trend tests.
RESULTS: Reported disaster exposure was associated with modest declines in mental health (β = -0.86, 95% CI – 1.51 to -0.20) and general health (β = -0.83, 95% CI – 1.44 to -0.22). Psychological distress was higher but not statistically significant in the primary model (β = 0.33, 95% CI – 0.04 to 0.70). Sensitivity analyses generally supported the mental and general health findings. Event-study analyses showed no consistent evidence of persistent post-exposure deterioration; however, the MHI-5 joint pre-trend test indicated differential pre-exposure patterns, limiting causal interpretation.
CONCLUSIONS: Reported disaster exposure was associated with modest within-person declines in women’s mental and general health, while evidence for psychological distress was less conclusive. The findings support consideration of women’s health in disaster preparedness and recovery planning.
PMID:42935352 | DOI:10.1080/16549716.2026.2752483
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