Factors influencing mental burden caused by flooding: Insights from the 2021 flood in the Ahr Valley (Germany)

This study investigates the influence of various factors upon self-reported mental burden from those affected by the July 2021 floods in the Ahrweiler district of Germany. The researchers assessed multiple factors, including flood characteristics, circumstances of the recovery process, personal characteristics, and perceptions. The data of 277 responses were analyzed using binary logistic regression.

Results show that even 18 months after the event, 42.6% of respondents continued to experience high to very high levels of mental burden. Moreover, the analysis found that sociodemographic variables - particularly, health status - and personal characteristics and perceptions (e.g., persistent mental preoccupation) had a greater impact on mental burden than the characteristics of the flood or the reconstruction process. The researchers emphasise the need for further research into the psychological consequences of extreme flooding, as these studies are often less prevalent than those reporting on physical damage, and their results showing high prevalence of mental burden demonstrate this need.