Understanding the resilience and mental health impacts of natural disasters in India: A narrative review

Disasters are the most prominent catastrophes which severely hinder the growth and pace of development of a country. In 2016, the world witnessed 191 natural catastrophes. Nearly 11,000 people died or went missing, and the profound economic loss from these disasters was estimated to be USD175 billion, the highest since 2012 (Swiss Re, 2016). Since 1970, the number of disasters worldwide has quadrupled to around 400 a year. Natural disasters increased by 13.9% in 2015 over the previous year (Guha-Sapir, Hoyois, and Below, 2016). Scientists believe that the increase in hydrometeorological disasters is due to a combination of natural and man-made factors. Global warming is continuously Abstract: The purpose of this study is to understand the linkages between natural disasters and their impact on the mental health of people as well as associated resilience mechanisms in India. Natural disasters affect not only the physical environment but also the economy, social life, and well-being of the population. In addition to the loss of precious lives and economic losses, disasters affect the natural growth and mental health of the affected populations to a great extent. It is extremely challenging to quantify the true scale of damage caused by a disaster because physical damage is visible, but hidden impacts could be much more severe and have catastrophic effects on the socioeconomic growth of the affected families and areas. Against this background and with the limited available evidence, this study has tried to understand how disasters lead to poor mental health among the affected populations around the globe and tried to conceptualize this in the Indian context. Our review documents the different pathways for disasters to adversely affect mental health, particularly among vulnerable populations. The review also highlights how an increased frequency of disasters with climate change can lead to a post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, and depression. Changes in climate and global warming may require populations to migrate, which can lead to acculturation stress. It can also lead to increased rates of physical illnesses, which secondarily would be associated with psychological distress. This research is an initial step in bringing this important issue forward in the context of Sustainable Development Goals and outlining that better policies need to be designed for prevention, services, and psychological counseling of mental health problems due to disasters. This study also suggests for more longitudinal research to understand the development of disaster-related mental health problems and to develop adequate mitigation strategies.