Sri Lanka’s repeated exposure to war, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic hardship and natural disasters has left many people carrying layers of trauma and loss, with earlier distress resurfacing each time a new crisis arrives, a study has found.
The research, titled “Addressing Disaster-Related Trauma and Loss in Sri Lanka” and conducted by Mithilaimaran Theivendran of the University of Kerala, reviewed 25 research papers, government documents and reports published between 2010 and 2025.
The central finding
The study argues that the psychological impact of disasters cannot be treated as a series of isolated incidents. Repeated crises compound emotional distress, and each round makes recovery harder than the last. People who have already lived through conflict, displacement, bereavement or economic hardship are more vulnerable when the next crisis hits, and recent disasters — including Cyclone Ditwah — can trigger memories and emotional responses tied to much earlier events.
Trauma, the review found, extends well beyond deaths and injuries. It includes the loss of homes, livelihoods, social networks, financial security and a general sense of stability. Anxiety, depression, fear, emotional exhaustion and uncertainty about the future recurred across the literature reviewed.
How people cope, and what blocks help
Many rely on family, religious practice and community networks. Others respond with withdrawal, social isolation and emotional avoidance.
Access to formal mental health support remains a barrier in itself. The study identifies stigma, financial difficulty, shortages of trained professionals and uneven availability of services, with the gaps falling hardest on vulnerable and disaster-affected communities.
Its conclusion is that disaster response should go beyond immediate relief to long-term mental health and psychosocial support that accounts for what people have already been through, and that community-based, culturally grounded systems need strengthening rather than replacing.
