Climate-Induced Trauma and Resilience: A Cross-Sectional Study on PTSD Symptoms Among Adolescents Exposed to Landslides in Kerala

Climate-induced disasters like landslides have deeply affected many young people in Kerala, leaving them to cope with fear, loss, and sudden changes in their everyday lives. This study aims to understand how these experiences shape adolescents’ emotional wellbeing specifically, how many of them show signs of PTSD and how their inner strength, or resilience, helps them recover. Using a quantitative approach, we reached out to adolescents from landslide-affected areas through purposive and cluster sampling, gathering responses from around 200 students. They completed two scientifically validated tools the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to reflect their trauma symptoms and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) to show how well they bounce back from difficulties. The findings revealed that many adolescents carry moderate to high levels of trauma symptoms after the landslides, yet those with stronger resilience showed noticeably fewer PTSD symptoms. These results remind us that while disasters leave emotional scars, building resilience and providing timely mental health support can help young people heal and move forward with greater strength.