Mental Health Impacts of Hurricane Harvey: Examining the Roles of Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience

Prior research has found that the prevalence and severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) increase in communities experiencing a disaster. Less studied are the associations between IPV, disaster exposure, and mental health outcomes following disaster events. In the current study, authors examined the prevalence of IPV before and after Hurricane Harvey and the direct and indirect effects of risk (i.e., disaster exposure, IPV) and resilience on mental health outcomes using structural equation modeling with 382 adults. Results indicate that exposure to Hurricane Harvey was significantly associated with risk for IPV, posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, and depression symptoms. In addition, IPV mediated the relationships between disaster exposure and PTS and depression symptoms. These findings support the need to incorporate IPV services and resources into disaster mental health services.