EWS 05
Mental Health
05.04.2023

Mental health

The destruction and stress caused by an extreme weather event can take a toll on the mental health of individuals, families and communities. Young people and their families may experience elevated mental ill-being symptoms during, following, and even months after the floods or cyclone. Growing Up in New Zealand asked young people and their primary caregiver about their general quality of life, resilience, depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms. We describe these mental health and wellbeing aspects experienced at 6 months after the extreme weather events.

Please note that additional research is required to determine if those who experience poorer mental health symptoms were more likely to report feeling affected by the extreme weather events or if experiencing extreme weather events resulted in poorer mental health outcomes.

Young person reported mental health and wellbeing

Quality of life – young person
‍The KIDSCREEN-10 measures quality of life which is a subjective evaluation of general health and well-being [39] . The KIDSCREEN-10 quality of life mean scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater quality of life.

Quality of life
Resilience
Depression Symptoms
Anxiety Symptoms
Quality of lifeResilienceDepression SymptomsAnxiety Symptoms

Figure 25 . Shows young people’s self-reported quality of life scores by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Quality of life – young person  
‍The KIDSCREEN-10 measures quality of life which is a subjective evaluation of general health and well-being [39]. The KIDSCREEN-10 quality of life mean scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater quality of life.  This graph shows the proportion of quality of life mean scores ranging from 1 to 5 for three groups of young people: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 166, 24.8%, M = 3.69, 95% CI = 3.59-3.79), knew someone else affected (light blue; n = 184, 27.5%, M = 3.63, 95% CI = 3.54-3.73), or were not affected (green; n = 320, 47.8%, M = 3.78, 95% CI = 3.72-3.85) by the extreme weather events. Overall, there was no difference in quality of life scores between those who were affected, knew someone else affected, or were not affected by the extreme weather events.

Figure 26 . Shows young people’s self-reported resilience scores by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Resilience - young person
‍The Connor Davidson Resilience Scale 2-item (CD-RISC 2) measures the ability to adapt and bounce back after adversity [40]. The CD-RISC 2 scores range from 0 to 8, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.This graph shows the proportion of resilience scores ranging from 0-8 for three groups of young people: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 166, 24.8%, M = 5.40, 95% CI 5.16-5.65), knew someone else affected (light blue; n = 184, 27.5%, M = 5.58, 95% CI 5.36-5.81), or were not affected (green; n = 320, 47.8%, M = 5.08, 95% CI 4.89-5.28) by the extreme weather events.Overall, there was no difference between resilience scores for those who were affected, knew someone else affected, or were not affected by the extreme weather events.

Figure 27 . Shows young people’s self-reported depression symptoms by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Depression symptoms – young person
‍The Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression 10-item (CES-D-10) measures symptoms of depression including depressed mood, tiredness, feelings of guilt, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, trouble concentrating, and difficulty sleeping, during the past week [41]. The CES-D-10 depression symptom scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater depression symptoms.This graph shows the proportion of depression symptom scores ranging from 0-30 for three groups of young people: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 165, 24.7%, M = 8.79, 95% CI7.84-9.75), knew someone else affected (light blue; n = 184, 27.5%, M = 8.59, 95% CI 7.72 –9.47), or were not affected (green; n = 319, 47.8%, M = 6.70, 95% CI 6.21-7.20) by the extreme weather events.On average, young people who were affected or knew someone else affected by the extreme weather events reported higher depression scores compared to young people who were not affected by the extreme weather events.

Figure 28 . Shows young people’s self-reported anxiety symptoms by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Anxiety symptoms – young person
‍The PROMIS Anxiety Scale measures symptoms of anxiety including fear, anxious misery, and an overactive mind, during the past week [42]. The PROMIS anxiety symptom scores range from 33.5 to 83.3, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety symptoms.This graph shows the proportion of anxiety symptom scores ranging from 33.5-83.3 for three groups of young people: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 165, 24.4%, M = 46.96, 95% CI 45.19-48.73), knew someone else affected (light blue; n = 184, 27.9%, M = 46.28, 95% CI 44.65-47.90), or were not affected (green; n = 317, 47.6%, M = 42.98, 95% CI 41.92-44.05) by the extreme weather events.On average, young people who were affected or knew someone else affected by the extreme weather events reported higher anxiety scores, compared to the young people who were not affected by the extreme weather events.

Mother/primary caregiver reported mental health and wellbeing

Resilience – mother/primary caregiver
The Connor Davidson Resilience Scale 2-item (CD-RISC 2) measures the ability to adapt and bounce back after adversity [40] . The CD-RISC 2 scores range from 0 to 8, with higher scores meaning higher resilience.

Resilience
Depression Symptoms
Depression symptom frequencies
Anxiety symptoms
Anxiety symptom frequencies
ResilienceDepression SymptomsDepression symptom frequenciesAnxiety symptomsAnxiety symptom frequencies

Figure 29 . Shows mother/primary caregiver reported resilience scores by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Resilience – mother/primary caregiver
‍The Connor Davidson Resilience Scale 2-item (CD-RISC 2) measures the ability to adapt and bounce back after adversity [40]. The CD-RISC 2 scores range from 0 to 8, with higher scores meaning higher resilience.This graph shows the proportion of resilience scores ranging from 0-8 for three groups of mothers/primary caregivers: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 207, 26.5%, M = 5.84, 95% CI 5.61-6.07), live in an area that was affected (light blue; n = 231, 29.5%, M = 5.74, 95% CI 5.51-5.96), or were not affected (green; n = 344, 44.0%, M = 5.67, 95% CI 5.48-5.86) by the extreme weather events.Overall, there does not appear to be a difference between resilience scores for those who were affected, knew someone else affected, or were not affected by the extreme weather events.

Figure 30 . Shows mother/primary caregiver reported depression symptoms by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Depression symptoms – mother/primary caregiver
‍The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) measures symptoms of depression including depressed mood, tiredness, feelings of guilt, feelings of hopelessness, trouble concentrating, and difficulty sleeping [43]. The PHQ-9 depression symptom scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater depression symptoms. A score of 10 or greater indicates clinically relevant depression symptoms.This graph shows the proportion of mother/primary caregiver depression symptom scores ranging from 0-27 for three groups of mothers/primary caregivers: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 206, 26.4%, M = 6.49, 95% CI = 5.69-7.29), live in an area that was affected (lightblue; n = 229, 29.4%, M = 5.84, 95% CI 5.17-6.51), or were not affected (green; n = 344, 44.2%, M = 5.33, 95% CI 4.78-5.88) by the extreme weather events.Overall, there does not appear to be a difference between depression symptom scores for mothers/primary caregivers who were affected, knew someone else affected, or were not affected by the extreme weather events.

Table 6. Frequency and proportion of clinically relevant depression symptoms scores in the Extreme Weather Survey mother/primary caregiver questionnaire

As shown in Table 6, around 1 in 5 (21.4%, n = 167) of mothers/primary caregivers had clinically relevant depression symptoms six months following the extreme weather events.

Figure 31 . Shows mother/primary caregiver reported anxiety symptoms by how affected they felt by the extreme weather events.

Anxiety symptoms – mother/primary caregiver
‍The 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) measures symptoms of anxiety including feeling nervous, being unable to stop or control worrying, trouble relaxing, and restlessness [44]. The GAD-7 anxiety symptom scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety symptoms. A score of 10 or greater indicates clinically relevant anxiety symptoms.This graph shows the proportion of anxiety symptom scores ranging from 0-24 for three groups of mothers/primary caregivers: those who were affected (dark blue; n = 206, 26.5%, M = 5.55, 95% CI 4.85-6.24), live in an area that was affected (light blue; n = 228, 29.3%, M = 4.73, 95% CI 4.12-5.34), or were not affected (green; n = 344, 44.2%, M = 4.10, 95% CI 3.62-4.58) by the extreme weather events.On average, mothers/primary caregivers who were affected by the extreme weather events reported greater anxiety symptoms compared to mothers/primary caregivers who were not affected by the extreme weather events. Overall, there does not appear to be a difference between anxiety symptoms for those who knew someone else affected compared to those who were affected or were not affected by the extreme weather events."

Table 7. Frequency and proportion of clinically relevant anxiety symptoms scores in the Extreme Weather Survey mother/primary caregiver questionnaire.

As shown in Table 7, 14.3% (n = 111) of mothers/primary caregivers had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms six months following the extreme weather events. However, it is important to note that this is not a diagnosis of anxiety. 

Quotes
What do you think the Prime Minister could or should do to support young people who might experience a natural disaster, such as flooding, a cyclone, or an earthquake?
"Support young people more, give them places they can go too to talk about how they are feeling"

Young person from South Auckland

What advice would you give to other young people who might experience a flood or cyclone in the future?
“To create a fund for young people, to encourage them to create and design what they need during a natural disaster. Just like a flood relief fund, there should be one for the youth also.”

Young person from South Auckland

“It’s not your fault. You are allowed to be sad. Talk to your friend and adults if you can. It is hard!”

Young person from Te Matau-a-Māui/Hawke’s Bay

References

Suggested citation: Gawn, J., Fletcher, B.D., Neumann, D., Pillai, A., Miller, S., Park, A., Napier, C., Paine, S.J. (2024). The impact of extreme weather events on young people and their families: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand. Auckland: Growing Up in New Zealand. Available from: www.growingup.co.nz

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