Poor mental health as a correlate of perceived unmet needs of earthquake survivors in evacuation camps: Posttraumatic stress and growth as parallel mediators

Fulfilling an individual’s material and safety needs is a requisite condition not only for survival but for optimal mental health and well-being. The compounded traumatic experience of a series of severe earthquakes, permanent evacuation from residences declared as unsafe for living, and relocation to camps where material provisions are minimal compromises the survivor-evacuees’ mental health. The present study examines the impact of survivor-evacuees’ perceived unmet needs on their mental health through the parallel mediations of posttraumatic stress and growth. Respondents of the survey interviews are 121 residents of Kidapawan City, Cotabato, Philippines, survivors of the 2019 series of severe earthquakes, who continue to live in evacuation camps nearly two years after the disaster. Considering the impact of COVID-19, the present study shows that (a) perceived unmet needs have a direct negative effect on mental health, (b) perceived unmet needs predict posttraumatic stress that in turn predicts poor mental health, and (c) while perceived unmet needs do not predict posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic growth predicts good mental health. Examined as a covariate, the impact of COVID-19 on people’s living conditions has a significant positive effect on posttraumatic stress, a significant positive effect on posttraumatic growth, but no significant effect on mental health. The results suggest that satisfaction of both material (perceived unmet needs) and psychological want (posttraumatic stress) is important for mental health; that it is COVID-19 impact that promotes posttraumatic growth, and not perceived unmet needs. Nonetheless, both posttraumatic stress and growth have a significant impact on mental health, negative and positive, respectively. The results have a strong implication for more research on growth and other positive outcomes in the midst of overlapping traumatic experiences and for integrated post-disaster programs that address both basic living needs and mental health problems. Moreover, the present study suggests further research examining the external factors (event, environment) and internal processes (psychological) known to foster posttraumatic growth; the longitudinal relationship between posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth, particularly, whether posttraumatic stress predicts posttraumatic stress or whether posttraumatic stress is a prerequisite to posttraumatic growth; and the qualities of adapted measures (MHI, IES-R, PTGI-SF) in comparison with the original measures. Keywords: perceived unmet needs, mental health, posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic growth, earthquake survivors, displaced individuals, COVID-19 pandemi