DON’T LOOK BACK: POST-DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF AGING THROUGH REDUCED FOCUS ON THE PAST

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra

Disasters negatively affect mental health, yet evidence suggests older age can be protective. Data from 936 participants across six monthly Understanding America Study surveys examined whether disaster impacts on depression and anxiety differ across adulthood and whether temporal orientation to past, present, or future mediates age differences. Older adults reported fewer depression and anxiety symptoms even after disasters or negative consequences. Greater focus on the past predicted higher symptoms. Age-related symptom reductions were partially explained by reduced past-focused temporal orientation, interpreted using socio-emotional selectivity theory.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study design and measures

Key findings

Mediation and theory interpretation

Policy and practice implications

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 105 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.347 DON’T LOOK BACK: POST-DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF AGING THROUGH REDUCED FOCUS ON THE PAST JoNell Strough1, Andrew Parker2, Esha Azhar1, Samer Atshan3, and Ryan Best1, 1. West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States, 2. RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 3. Center for Economic and Social Research, Los Angeles, California, United States Disasters negatively impact mental health (NIH, 2022) but some research found that older age was protective (Strough et al., 2023) . We used data (n = 936) from six monthly surveys of the Understanding America Study to investigate whether the impact of disasters on depression and anxiety varied across adulthood and if so, whether temporal orientations to the past, present, or future mediated any age differences. Panelists reported whether they had experienced any disaster in the past month (e.g., hurricane, wildfire) and if so, whether they had personally experienced any negative consequence (e.g., evacuation, property loss). Older age was consistently associated with reporting fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety even among those who had experienced a disaster or negative consequence. Depression and anxiety symptoms were significantly greater among individuals who had experienced a negative consequence of a disaster versus not having experienced any disaster, or having experienced a disaster without a negative consequence. Mediation analyses tested present, past, and future temporal orientations as pathways between older age and fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, controlling for income, education, race, and gender. Older age was associated with lesser past and future temporal orientations. Greater temporal orientation toward the past (but not future or present) was significantly associated with increased depression and anxiety symptoms. Age-related reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms were partially explained by a lesser tendency to focus on the past at older ages. Findings are interpreted from the perspective of Carstensen’s (2006) socio-emotional selectivity theory. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

FAQs

How do disasters affect mental health in the study’s framing?

The study treats disasters as negatively impacting mental health, motivating an examination of how those effects vary with age.

What did the study find about older adults’ depression and anxiety after disasters?

Older age was consistently associated with fewer depression and anxiety symptoms even among those who experienced disasters and negative consequences.

How does temporal focus on the past relate to depression and anxiety?

Greater temporal orientation toward the past (not future or present) was linked to higher depression and anxiety symptoms, and age-related symptom reductions were partially explained by reduced past focus.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra