Disaster exposure can put survivors at greater risk for subsequent mental health (MH) problems. Within the field of disaster MH research, it is important to understand how the choice of analytic approaches and their implicit assumptions may affect results when using a disaster exposure measure. We compared different analytic strategies for quantifying disaster exposure and included a new analytic approach, latent class analysis (LCA), in a sample of parents and youth. Following exposure to multiple floods in Texas, a sample of 555 parents and 486 youth were recruited. Parents were predominantly female (70.9%) and White (60.8%). Parents were asked to have their oldest child between the ages of 10 and 19 years old participate (M = 13.74 years, SD = 2.57; 52.9% male). Participants completed measures on disaster exposure, posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. The LCA revealed four patterns of exposure in both parents and youth: high exposure (15.5% parent, 9.5% child), moderate exposure (19.8% parent, 28.2% child), community exposure (45.9% parent, 34.4% child), and low exposure (18.8% parent, 27.8% child). In terms of MH, there were similarities across analytic approaches, but the LCA highlighted a threshold effect, with the high exposure class doing worse than all others, d = 1.12. These results have important implications in understanding the different exposure experiences of survivors and the linkage to MH outcomes. The findings are also informative in the development and use of screening tools used in postdisaster contexts in determining who may or may not need MH services.

Identifying patterns of victimization continuity and discontinuity over time can inform school-based efforts to prevent and intervene with peer victimization. We conducted a four-wave longitudinal study of students through their transition from middle to high school. Participants were 135 diverse students from Grade 8 to Grade 11 who completed self-report surveys each year on peer victimization, life satisfaction, mental health, and substance use. Latent profile analysis identified four patterns of victimization: continuously high victimization (19%), inconsistent victimization (14%), revictimization (14%), and continuously low victimization (53%). In grade 11, the continuously high victimization group (19%) was more likely to report alcohol use, elevated psychological distress, diminished life satisfaction, and seriously contemplate suicide than any other group. Follow-up analysis reveals sexual harassment appears to be common as youth transition into their high school years. Results have implications for school screening and intervention efforts.

Most disaster mental health research focuses on the relationship between disaster exposure and distress, often neglecting its influence on social-emotional health, despite implications for resilience and well-being after the disaster. Following multiple floods in Texas, a sample of 486 youth aged 10 -19 years old (M ϭ 13.74 years, SD ϭ 2.57; 52.9% male) completed measures of disaster exposure, life stressors since the disaster, and social-emotional health. Using mixture regression modeling, we examined differences in the relationship between life stressors and social-emotional health across latent classes of disaster exposure (high, moderate, community, and low exposure). After accounting for mean levels of life stressors, the mean levels of social-emotional health did not differ across exposure classes; however, the strength of the relationship between life stressors and social-emotional health did. Youth in the high exposure group had the highest mean level of life stressors since the disaster. Thus, each additional life stressor did not result in changes in social-emotional health, suggesting saturated stress levels. For youth in the moderate and community exposure classes, increases in life stressors did lower social-emotional health, perhaps pushing them into stress overload. For the low exposure group, life stressors did not have an influence. This has implications for postdisaster mental health screening and support, tailored by levels of exposure and attuned to ongoing stressors that may impact long-term social-emotional health. Public Policy Relevance StatementDisaster exposure and subsequent life stressors can affect social-emotional health. Stress overload may happen for the most highly exposed, but for more moderately exposed, additional life stressors impact social-emotional health. Policymakers need to consider how to support the range of disaster survivors and their changing needs over the long haul of disaster recovery, not only the immediate impact.