New Insights Into the Relationship Between Drought and Mental Health Emerging From the Australian Rural Mental Health Study.

Tuyen T Luong,Anthony S Kiem,Brian Kelly,Emma K Austin,Tonelle Handley,Jane L Rich

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.719786

Abstract

While it is recognized that drought affects mental health, few population-based longitudinal studies quantify this relationship. In this study, we investigate the effects of drought on mental health in a rural population, and how these effects change with continued exposure to drought conditions. Using a panel dataset consisting of 6,519 observations from the Australian Rural Mental Health Study, we found a non-linear (inverted U-shape) relationship between drought exposure and mental health. Specifically, people experienced an increase of psychological distress for the first 2.5–3 years of drought, after which time this distress dissipates. These effects were maintained after controlling for demographic, social, and environmental factors. We also found that while psychological distress decreases in the later stages of drought, this does not necessarily mean people have good mental health because, for example, factors such as life satisfaction decreased as drought persisted. This is important as it highlights the need for sustained support to mitigate the long-term effects of drought on mental health that persist after the drought has apparently finished.

Highlights

Environmental hazards are important in psychiatry because of their potential risks to mental health and capacity to trigger mental disorders [1]
2,639 individuals completed the Australian Rural Mental Health Study (ARMHS) baseline survey; our study population comprise 2,607 participants as 32 individuals were excluded
Protective factors are not directly investigated in this study, our analysis suggested the existence of such factors in the drought-mental health relationship

Summary

Introduction

Environmental hazards are important in psychiatry because of their potential risks to mental health and capacity to trigger mental disorders [1]. Drought is likely to exacerbate broader risks to mental health by disrupting ecological and socioeconomic systems and amplifying risks to physical health [2]. The onset of drought can be stressful when it adversely impacts individual and community economic activities, causes crop and livestock failure; or social isolation and anxiety can occur with the presence of increased workloads, reduced time and resources [2]. Understanding the mental health effects of drought is essential to any attempts of drought adaptation and mitigation because mental health and well-being are correlated to adaptive capacity to drought [3]. Some authors [e.g., [7, 8]] suggest that drought-related financial hardship, lack of water, and migration increase stress and anxiety. While the theoretical relationship between drought and mental health is compelling, the empirical evidence for this is poor

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Discussion

Conclusion