In this study authored by former Harvard Bell Fellow Adel Daoud, PhD, and our faculty affiliate Ichiro Kawachi, and their colleagues, a machine learning approach to parsing out differences in mental health problems after a disaster-related traumatic experience (in this case, older Japanese adults who lived in an area hard hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake) revealed that some subgroups experienced severe impacts. Those found to be most vulnerable to mental health impacts were those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with preexisting depressive symptoms.
Which subpopulations are more susceptible to mental health issues after experiencing a disaster?
