Meta-analysis of 71 longitudinal studies tracking 137,004 disaster survivors reveals a consistent 22.1% prevalence of mental health problems regardless of disaster type, population demographics, or country income level. The analysis encompassed up to 25 years of follow-up data across natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other catastrophic events. Most significantly, the research identified a distinctive dual-peak pattern in psychological distress: an initial surge in early months post-disaster, followed by apparent recovery, then an unexpected resurgence approximately 10 years later before final decline. This finding challenges the conventional understanding of disaster recovery as a simple linear process and suggests delayed psychological effects may be far more common than recognized. The universality of the 22% burden rate across diverse populations and disaster types indicates fundamental commonalities in human stress response that transcend cultural and circumstantial differences. For health practitioners, this pattern suggests the need for sustained mental health monitoring extending well beyond the immediate post-disaster period, with particular vigilance around the decade mark when secondary psychological waves may emerge unexpectedly in seemingly recovered populations.