Psychological Consequences of Environmental Degradation

Abstract

Psychological aspects of environmental degradation in Burkina Faso are studied among two groups of Sahel dwellers, namely the Mossi (agriculturalists, n = 402) and the Fulani (pastoralists, n = 160). Compared to pastoralists, agriculturalists were more stressed and marginalized, the psychological consequences of degradation studied here. Men in both groups scored higher on marginalization and lower on stress than women did. Modem attitudes led to more stress and marginalization. Status in the community was unrelated to stress and marginalization. Locus of control and problem- focused coping were related to marginalization but not to stress. A MIMIC (M ultiple Indicators, MultIple Causes) model was fitted to the data postulating the relationship among four input variables (culture, environmental degradation, cattle and modernity), a latent variable (called carrying capacity) and two output variables (stress and marginalization ). For both men and women an adequate fit was found, with slightly different parameter values for the two sexes.