ArticleAddictive behaviors reports2026
Exposure to disaster information on social media, depressive symptoms, and alcohol and cannabis use in the aftermath of two natural disasters.
Article in Addictive behaviors reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Individuals who directly experience major natural disasters are at an increased risk for developing psychological distress and engaging in substance use. Beyond such direct experiences, however, viewing media portrayals of disasters could serve as an indirect means of exposure to a disaster. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between exposure to natural disaster information on social media, depressive symptoms, and the use of alcohol and cannabis. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from two separate surveys. The first survey was conducted during the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene/Milton in 2024 in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The second survey was conducted in Los Angeles County after the area's wildfires in 2025. Results: Findings showed that for both the hurricanes and wildfires surveys, exposure to disaster-related information on social media and depressive symptoms were both positively associated with the use of alcohol and cannabis. Exposure to disaster-related information on social media was positively associated with depressive symptoms, but this finding occurred only in the wildfires survey and not in the hurricanes survey. Finally, there was an indirect association between exposure to disaster-related information on social media and the use of alcohol and cannabis through depressive symptoms. However, this finding too occurred only in the wildfires survey. Conclusions: For those who directly experience a disaster, there is the potential that using social media for news or information about the disaster may serve as a risk factor associated with heightened distress and substance use.
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