Examining Hurricane Ida's Impact on Mental Health: Results From a Quasi-Experimental Analysis

Abstract

Limited research has evaluated the mental health effects during compounding disasters (e.g., a hurricane occurring during a pandemic), and few studies have examined post-disaster mental health with alternative data sources like crisis text lines. This study examined changes in crisis help-seeking for individuals in Louisiana, USA, before and after Hurricane Ida (2021), a storm that co-occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. An interrupted time series analysis and difference-in-difference analysis for single and multiple group comparisons were used to examine pre-and post-changes in crisis text volume (i.e., any crisis text, substance use, thoughts of suicide, stress/anxiety, and bereavement) among help-seeking individuals in communities that received US Federal Emergency Management Agency individual and public assistance following a presidential disaster declaration. Results showed a significant increase in crisis texts for any reason, thoughts of suicide, stress/anxiety, and bereavement in the four-week, three-month, and four-month post-impact period. Findings highlight the need for more mental health support for residents directly impacted by disasters like Hurricane Ida.

Keywords: ARIMA; Climate disaster; Crisis Text Line; bereavement; difference‐in‐difference; interrupted time series analysis; mental health; stress/anxiety; substance use; thoughts of suicide.

Figure 1

Daily crisis text volume time‐series for all CTL conversations in Louisiana, substance use, suicidal thoughts, stress/anxiety, and bereavement between 1 January 2021, and December 2021. On the left map figure are the Parishes and their level of assistance (FEMA, 2021). On the right map figure are the impacted area codes in red and control locations (i.e., non‐exposed) in blue. The path of Hurricane Ida's track is indicated by the black, dashed line.

Figure 2

The forecasted crisis text volume in the four‐month post‐Ida intervention period for (a) any text; (b) substance use; (c) thoughts of suicide; (d) stress/anxiety; (e) bereavement, Louisiana 2021. The dotted red line shows the forecasted amount of conversations and the transparent blue square represents the 95% confidence interval.

Figure 3

The forecasted crisis text volume for the control group in the four‐month post‐Ida intervention period for (a) any text; (b) substance use; (c) thoughts of suicide; (d) stress/anxiety; (e) bereavement, Louisiana 2021. The dotted red line shows the forecasted amount of conversations, and the transparent blue square represents the 95% confidence interval.