University of Melbourne Study Links Repeated Climate Disasters to Declining Mental Health

By Henry May 9, 2025
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A new study by the University of Melbourne, Australia, has revealed that repeated exposure to climate disasters such as bushfires, floods, and cyclones significantly worsens mental health. The study, based on a decade of data from 2009 to 2019, has prompted experts to call for urgent changes in disaster recovery planning and mental health screening processes across Australia.

The research tracked over 1,500 Australians who had experienced at least one climate-related disaster and compared their mental health outcomes to 880 individuals with similar socio-demographic backgrounds who had not faced such events. The results confirmed that the psychological toll worsens with each additional disaster, especially when exposures occur within a short span of one to two years.

Dr Claire Leppold, Research Fellow in Community Resilience at the University of Melbourne’s School of Population and Global Health, warned that today’s children may face a future marked by frequent disasters. “Children born today are expected to experience seven times more disasters across their lifetimes than previous generations,” she noted.

Dr Leppold stressed the importance of integrating past disaster exposure into current healthcare and emergency response protocols. “We argue that GPs need to screen for past disaster experiences, and that recovery planning must consider the cumulative mental health effects of multiple disasters—not just the most recent one,” she said.

The study highlights the urgent need for government bodies, health services, and emergency organisations to update their strategies and outreach, particularly for at-risk populations.

Professor Lisa Gibbs, Director of the Disaster, Climate and Adversity Unit at the University of Melbourne, echoed the importance of the findings. “In a climate-changed world, understanding the long-term public health impact of repeated disasters is critical. This research provides the evidence base to guide improvements in disaster recovery and planning.”

As Australia continues to face extreme weather events, the findings underscore the growing mental health challenges tied to climate change and the importance of proactive, trauma-informed response systems.

Source: SHIKSHA

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