Health and Mental Health Impact of Tornadoes: Are Older Adults More Resilient?

Abstract

Guided by influential theories of disaster research and gerontology, this study examines health resilience associated with tornadoes, particularly focusing on how individuals’ tornado-associated stress, financial losses, and family members’ well-being affected posttraumatic distress (PTD), posttraumatic growth (PTG), and self-reported changes in health among adults. To reach this goal, this study collected data from residents affected by two violent tornadoes in 2013, with the assistance of a professional survey lab which implemented a random-digit-dialling telephone survey. The working sample included 517 respondents with oversampled older adults. Multinomial logistic regression, Poisson regression, and Ordinary Least Square Regression were conducted separately for younger and older adults. The results indicated a significant effect of stress levels on PTG among older adults only. Nonetheless, the differences in effect sizes between the two groups were not significant. Meanwhile, respondents’ financial losses and their family members’ declined health were significant predictors of improved health among older adults. Similarly, family members’ declined mental health was a significant predictor of PTD among older adults, but not younger adults. Compared to young adults, older adults were more vulnerable to their family members’ declined mental health, but also more resilient to stressful situations, financial losses, and family members’ declined physical health. Lastly, although risk and resilience factors could be constructed with the same set of items, they function differently among different groups of people. Hence, more studies on heterogeneity are needed to further refine resilience frameworks.