Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T19:39:43.091Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Impact of Recurrent Disasters on Mental Health: A Study on Seasonal Floods in Northern India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2013

Tim R. Wind ,
Pooran C. Joshi ,
Rolf J. Kleber  and
Ivan H. Komproe
Tim R. Wind*
Affiliation:
Department of Research and Development, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, HealthNet TPO, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Pooran C. Joshi
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
Rolf J. Kleber
Affiliation:
Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Ivan H. Komproe
Affiliation:
Department of Research and Development, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, HealthNet TPO, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
*
Correspondence: Tim R. Wind, MSc Department of Research and Development World Health Organization Collaborating Centre HealthNet TPO 1074VJ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands E-mail twind@healthnettpo.org
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

Very little is known on the impact of recurrent disasters on mental health.

Aim

The present study examines the immediate impact of a recurrent flood on mental health and functioning among an affected population in the rural district of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India, compared with a population in the same region that is not affected by floods.

Methods

The study compared 318 affected respondents with 308 individuals who were not affected by floods. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Psychological and physical functioning was assessed by using the Short Form-12 (SF-12).

Results

The affected group showed large to very large differences with the comparison group on symptoms of anxiety (D = .92) and depression (D = 1.22). The affected group scored significantly lower on psychological and physical functioning than the comparison group (respectively D = .33 and D = .80). However, hierarchical linear regressions showed no significant relationship between mental health and the domains of functioning in the affected group, whereas mental health and the domains of functioning were significantly related in the comparison group.

Conclusion

This study found a large negative impact of the recurrent floods on mental health outcomes and psychological and physical functioning. However, in a context with recurrent floods, disaster mental health status is not a relevant predictor of functioning. The findings suggest that the observed mental health status and impaired functioning in this context are also outcomes of another mechanism: Both outcomes are likely to be related to the erosion of the social and environmental and material context. As such, the findings refer to a need to implement psychosocial context-oriented interventions to address the erosion of the context rather than specific mental health interventions.

WindTR, JoshiPC, KleberRJ, KomproeIH. The Impact of Recurrent Disasters on Mental Health: A Study on Seasonal Floods in Northern India. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(3):1-7.

Keywords

anxietydepressiondisaster mental healthfunctioningIndiarecurrent disasterrecurrent floods
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , June 2013 , pp. 279 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.World Food Programme. Response to recurrent natural disasters and seasonal food insecurity. http://www.wfp.org/content/response-recurrent-natural-disasters-and-seasonal-food-insecurity. Accessed August 15, 2012.Google Scholar
2.United Nations Information Centres. Monsoon, 2009. http://www.unic.org.pk/pdf/Monsoon%20fact%20sheet-final%2023%20July.pdf. Accessed September 2, 2010.Google Scholar
3.Aron, JL, Patz, A. Ecosystem Change and Public Health. A Global Perspective. Washington, DC: Johns Hopkins University Press; 2001.Google Scholar
4.Galea, S, Brewin, CR, Gruber, M, et al. Exposure to hurricane-related stressors and mental illness after Hurricane Katrina. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(12):1427-1434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Norris, FH, Friedman, MJ, Watson, PJ, Byrne, CM, Diaz, E, Kaniasty, K. 60,000 disaster victims speak: Part I. An empirical review of the empirical literature, 1981-2001. Psychiatry. 2002;65(3):207-239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Norris, FH, Friedman, MJ, Watson, PJ. 60,000 disaster victims speak: Part II. Summary and implications of the disaster mental health research. Psychiatry. 2002;65(3):240-260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Briere, J, Elliott, D. Prevalence, characteristics, and long-term sequelae of natural disaster exposure in the general population. J Trauma Stress. 2000;13(4):661-679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Choudhury, WA, Quraishi, FA, Haque, Z. Mental health and psychosocial aspects of disaster preparedness in Bangladesh. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2006;18(6):529-535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Few, R, Matthies, F. Flood Hazards and Health: Responding to Present and Future Risks. London: Earthscan; 2006.Google Scholar
10.Hobfoll, SE. Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. Am Psychol. 1989;44(3):513-524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Disease Control Priorities Project. Natural disasters: coping with the health impact. http://www.dcp2.org/file/121/DCPP-NauturalDisasters.pdf. Accessed July 15, 2009.Google Scholar
12.Wiesenfeld, E, Panza, R. Environmental hazards and home loss: the social construction of becoming homeless. Community, Work & Family. 1999;2(1):51-65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Wind, TR, Komproe, IH. The mechanisms that associate community social capital with disaster mental health: a multilevel model. Soc Sci Med. 2012;75(9):1715-1720.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Freedy, JR, Shaw, DL, Jarell, MP, Masters, CR. Towards an understanding of the psychological impact of natural disaster: an application of the conservation of resources model. J Trauma Stress. 1992;5(3):441-454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Freedy, JR, Saladin, ME, Kilpatrick, DG, Resnick, HS, Saunders, BE. Understanding acute psychological distress following natural disaster. J Trauma Stress. 1994;7(2):257-273.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Sattler, DN, Preston, AJ, Kaiser, CF, Olivera, VE, Valdez, J, Schlueter, S. Hurricane Georges: a cross-national study examining preparedness, resource loss, and psychological distress in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and the United States. J Trauma Stress. 2002;15(5):339-350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Horwitz, AV. Transforming normality into pathology: the DSM and the outcomes of stressful social arrangements. J Health Soc Behav. 2007;48(3):211-222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Weems, CF, Watts, SE, Marsee, MA. The psychosocial impact of Hurricane Katrina. Behav Res and Ther. 2007;45(10):2295-2306.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Connor, KM, Foa, EB, Davidson, JR. Practical assessment and evaluation of mental health problems following a mass disaster. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67(2):26-33.Google ScholarPubMed
20.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.Google Scholar
21.Narrow, WE, Rae, DS, Robins, LN, Regier, DA. Revised prevalence estimates of mental disorders in the United States: using a clinical significance criterion to reconcile 2 surveys’ estimates. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002;59(2):115-123.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Derogatis, LR, Lipman, RS, Rickels, K, Uhlenhuth, EH, Covi, L. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom inventory. Behav Sci. 1974;19(1):1-15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Lipman, RS, Covi, L, Shapiro, AK. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) - factors derived from the HSCL-90. J Affect Disord. 1979;1(1):9-24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Winokur, A, Winokur, DF, Rickels, K, Cox, DS. Symptoms of emotional distress in a family planning service: stability over a four-week period. Br J Psychiatry. 1984;144(4):395-399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25.Mollica, RF, Wyshak, G, de Marneffe, D, Khuon, F, Lavelle, J. Indochinese versions of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25: a screening instrument for the psychiatric care of refugees. Am J Psychiatry. 1987;144(4):497-500.Google ScholarPubMed
26.Ventevogel, P, de Vries, G, Scholte, WF, et al. Properties of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) as screening instruments used in primary care in Afghanistan. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007;42(2):328-335.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27.Crescenzi, A, Ketzer, E, van Ommeren, M, Phuntsok, K, Komproe, I, de Jong, JT. Effect of political imprisonment and trauma history on recent Tibetan refugees in India. J Trauma Stress. 2002;15(5):369-375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28.Thapa, SB, Hauff, E. Psychological distress among displaced persons during an armed conflict in Nepal. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2005;40(8):672-679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29.Souza, R, Bernatsky, S, Reyes, R, de Jong, K. Mental health status of vulnerable tsunami-affected communities: a survey in Aceh Province, Indonesia. J Trauma Stress. 2007;20(3):263-269.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30.Mollica, RF, Cardozo, BL, Osofsky, HJ, Raphael, B, Ager, A, Salama, P. Mental health in complex emergencies. Lancet. 2004;364(9450):2058-2067.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31.Ware, JE Jr., Gandek, B, Kosinski, M, et al. The equivalence of SF-36 summary health scores estimated using standard and country-specific algorithms in 10 countries: results from the IQOLA Project. International quality of life assessment. J Clin Epidemiol. 1998;51(11):1167-1170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32.Ware, JE Jr. Identifying populations at risk: functional impairment and emotional distress. Manag Care. 2002;11(10):15-17.Google ScholarPubMed
33.World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Recommendations guiding physicians in biomedical research involving human subjects. JAMA. 1997;277(11):925-926.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34.Cohen, J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1988.Google Scholar
35.Knight, BG, Gatz, M, Heller, K, Bengtson, VL. Age and emotional response to the Northridge earthquake: a longitudinal analysis. Psychol Aging. 2000;15(4):627-634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36.Van Griensven, F, Chakkraband, MLS, Thienkrua, W, et al. Mental health problems among adults in tsunami-affected areas in southern Thailand. JAMA. 2006;296(5):537-548.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37.Terr, LC. Childhood traumas: an outline and overview. Am J Psychiatry. 1991;148(1):10-20.Google ScholarPubMed
38.Kattri, P, Joshi, PC, Wind, TR, Komproe, IH, Guha-Sapir, D. Understanding mental health as a function of social vulnerabilities in a disaster situation: evidence from recurrent flooding in Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh. J Anthropol Survey India. 2012;61(1):109-125.Google Scholar
39.Van der Kolk, BH. Psychological Trauma. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press; 1987.Google Scholar
41.Van Ommeren, M, Wessels, M. Inter-agency agreement on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85(11):822.Google ScholarPubMed
40.Hobfoll, SE, Watson, P, Bell, CC, et al. Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term mass trauma intervention: empirical evidence. Psychiatry. 2007;70(4):283-315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41.Miller, KE, Kulkarni, M, Kushner, H. Beyond trauma-focused psychiatric epidemiology: bridging research and practice with war-affected populations. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2006;76(4):409-422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42.Esdaile, SA, Greenwood, KM. A comparison of mothers’ and fathers’ experience of parenting stress and attributions for parent child interaction outcomes. Occup Ther Int. 2003;10(2):115-116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed