Submission ID 130558
| Issue/Objective | Bangladesh experiences some of the world's most destructive cyclones, with Cyclone Remal (May 2024) displacing over 800,000 people from coastal districts. Disaster response in Bangladesh prioritises shelter, food, and physical health mental health is systematically absent. Yet the psychological consequences of cyclone displacement compounded by asset loss, livelihood destruction, family bereavement, and intimate partner violence; impose a profound and largely unacknowledged burden on women. This study measured the mental health burden among cyclone-displaced women across five coastal districts and documented the near-total absence of mental health services; an equity void at the intersection of gender, climate, and health systems failure. |
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| Methodology/Approach | A cross-sectional mental health survey was conducted among 248 displaced women aged 18-55 across five coastal districts of Bangladesh between May and October 2024, following Cyclone Remal. Participants were recruited from displacement shelters, households, and return sites using systematic sampling. Depression was measured using the PHQ-9, anxiety using the GAD-7, and probable PTSD using the PCL-5. Barriers to mental health care-seeking were documented through structured interview. Multivariable logistic regression identified independent predictors of moderate-severe depression. |
| Results | Among 248 women, 62.5% screened positive for moderate-to-severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥10) and 48.0% met the threshold for probable PTSD (PCL-5 ≥33) rates more than three times national prevalence estimates. Family member bereavement (aOR 3.8, 95% CI 2.1-6.9) and total home destruction (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.7-4.9) were the strongest independent predictors. Post-cyclone intimate partner violence was reported by 34.3%. Only 17.7% were aware that any mental health services existed; just 12.1% had sought support. Mental health services were active at only 13.7% of displacement sites, with the nearest service a median of 32 km away: inaccessible to women without income or transport. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Cyclone-displaced women in Bangladesh are carrying a catastrophic mental health burden in near-total service silence. The disaster response architecture built around physical needs are structurally blind to psychological trauma, and women who are already the most exposed to climate shocks are the least likely to receive mental health support. Integrating mental health into every level of climate disaster response is not a secondary consideration, rather a health equity imperative and climate justice obligation. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Dr. Afsana Shammi BRAC Dr. Afsana Shammi BRAC Md Shahnur Ahmed FRIENDSHIP |
