The Mental Health of German Youth After a Flooding Disaster

In June 2016, a catastrophe shattered the quiet German town of Simbach am Inn on the Austrian border. As the region was pummelled with thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail, creeks around Simbach am Inn’s 10,000 inhabitants rose around five metres in 12 hours, transforming the streets into muddy torrents. Five people died and hundreds required rescue.

Post-disaster mental health research

A Munich-based research team set out to understand the mental health of youth in the disaster-affected area. Previous research on disasters and mental health demonstrates widely divergent patterns. Fundamentally, people vary and respond differently. Some never fully overcome their losses. Others are galvanized to help themselves and others, becoming inspirational advocates for supporting mental health and or reducing risks from disasters.

Many disasters occur at fairly small scales and are easily forgotten by those not experiencing them. The research team here published two papers this year, based on data collected in 2022, covering a disaster that otherwise might have rapidly faded from the memories of those not directly involved.

For one paper, the scientists interviewed youth. They included nine people ages 18 to 25 during the interview, these people were adolescents in 2016 and living within 50 kilometres of Simbach am Inn during the disaster. The other paper focused on professionals caring for and supporting youth—medical staff, therapists, teachers, other educational staff, religious representatives, and politicians. Some 52 possible interviewees were identified leading to nine interviews.

Both groups of interviewees detailed parallel concerns. Youth’s mental health was adversely affected by:

• concerns about their family, especially parents, since the floods happened during school hours
• witnessing the damage, notably, the clean-up required for the mud
• lack of certainty regarding what happens next, particularly in terms of financial difficulties, which led some families to move from Simbach am Inn.

Common feelings were fear, shock, helplessness, tension, and not knowing where or how to seek help, including for mental health. Anxiety remained evident at the time of the interviews, such as during downpours.

A stream in Simbach am Inn, Germany.

Source: Johanna Elbel / Used with Permission

Yet requests for mental health support increased only slightly after the floods. Part of this small change is attributed to not knowing about available services. Part is linked to coping and protective mechanisms, including family, friends, individual adaptability, taking action to clean up the damage, and returning to school and other daily life. Helping to clean up was especially powerful for giving adolescents a coping mechanism through a sense of control.

Mental health services and disasters

A key conclusion from the studies is that mental health services must be available and accessible post-disaster, but neither foisted on nor expected to be used by everyone affected. A reframing could be considered in terms of adopting this ethos at all times. That is, mental and physical health services ought to be available and accessible to everyone, which would support pre-disaster activities to reduce disaster risk and impact.

This point supports a further reframing by avoiding the phrase natural disasters, which both papers use without critique, despite baseline disaster research describing why disasters are not natural. For Simbach am Inn, the disaster was not the rainfall or flood per se, but rather the deaths, damage, and disruption. The town was in a known floodable area since sections are almost at the same elevation as the main river while buildings sit alongside streams. Meanwhile, extreme weather had been widespread around the region for days before the floods.

It can be difficult to be ready for nature when a place has a limited history of flooding or other environmental changes. It requires long-term decision-making from those with political power and resources. We can complete a rough or detailed assessment of a location’s history, changes, and susceptibilities—if we choose to do so. In the end, it saves lives to document now possible extremes, so that people can integrate the knowledge and actions into their daily lives. Preventing death, damage, and disruption may result in significant paybacks.

In addition to saving lives, a payback is avoiding the trauma revealed by the two studies. Both concluded that the youth’s social environment and support mechanisms were the biggest influencers in positively coping with the disaster. These do not appear overnight and are hard to offer fully after a disaster.

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Instead, it is important to grow up in a strong social environment while being aware of and confident in support mechanisms. Addressing mental health difficulties remains stigmatised around the world. It requires particular courage to seek support in small communities where people know each other and so news about their health problems can travel swiftly.

A positive social environment includes talking about mental health and well-being long before a disaster, knowing that difficulties typically emerge from a disaster, accepting that these difficulties can and should be addressed, and being willing to ask for help. Then, when a disaster does occur, it becomes straightforward to explain one’s feelings and experiences while requesting professional help for recovering and preventing worse effects.

The inevitability of Simbach am Inn being affected by flooding, extreme weather, or other potential dangers should be accepted. Irrespective, no disaster is inevitable. Youth should have the certainty that they and those around them are ready.