Evacuation- and Hurricane-Related Experiences, Emotional Distress, and Their Associations With Mothers' Health Risk Behaviors

Objective: Extreme weather events pose major risks to human health and have a greater psychological impact on women and parents, but little is known about how they affect health risk behaviors. This study evaluated how disaster-related experiences before, during, and after Hurricane Irma were associated with mothers' health-risk behaviors, and the extent to which posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms potentially mediated these relationships. Method: Mothers (N = 534; 33% underrepresented minorities) residing in Southern Florida completed an online survey about their evacuation experiences before and hurricane experiences during and after Irma. Mothers also completed measures of PTSS, depressive symptoms, and health risk behaviors (i.e., substance use, sedentary behaviors, and difficulty falling or staying asleep). Confirmatory factor analysis assessed the fit of the health-risk behavior indicators on a latent factor. Structural equation modeling evaluated relationships between variables. Results: A one-factor model for health risk behaviors fit the data well. After controlling for income, loss and disruption after the storm and depressive symptoms were directly associated with mothers' health risk behaviors. Before-the-storm evacuation stressors, actual life-threatening events during the storm, and loss and disruption after the storm were related to mothers' PTSS and depressive symptoms and also associated with health risk behaviors indirectly via depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Stressful experiences before, during, and after hurricanes are associated with mothers' health-risk behaviors via postevent emotional distress. Health interventions should include strategies that help parents cope with the impact of extreme weather events, both before and after such events occur. Mothers' distress potentially could affect child health.

Automated summary

Extreme weather events have an impact on mothers' health-risk behaviors, with posttraumatic stress symptoms and depressive symptoms potentially mediating these relationships. Stressful experiences before, during, and after hurricanes are associated with mothers' health-risk behaviors via postevent emotional distress. Health interventions should consider the effects of extreme weather events on parents and children.