Abstract
BackgroundClimate change is associated with greater frequency, duration, intensity and unpredictability of certain weather-related events, including floods. Floods harm mental health. There is limited understanding of the mental health and well-being effects from river flooding, particularly over the longer term and in rural contexts. This paper describes the rationale, aims, objectives, study design and socio-demographic characteristics of the sample for a study measuring associations between flood experience and mental health and wellbeing of residents (particularly those most likely to be negatively impacted and hard to reach) in rural NSW Australia 6 months following a devastating flood in 2017. To our knowledge, the study is the first of its kind within Australia in a rural community and is an important initiative given the likelihood of an increasing frequency of severe flooding in Australia given climate change.MethodsA conceptual framework (The Flood Impact Framework) drawing on social ecological approaches was developed by the research team. It was based on the literature and feedback from the community. The Framework describes putative relationships between flood exposure and mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Within a community-academic partnership approach, a cross-sectional survey was then undertaken to quantify and further explore these relationships.ResultsThe cross-sectional survey was conducted online (including on mobile phone) and on paper between September and November 2017 and recruited 2530 respondents. Of those, 2180 provided complete demographic data, among whom 69% were women, 91% were aged 25–74, 4% identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, 9% were farmers and 33% were business owners.ConclusionsThe study recruited a wide range of respondents and the partnership facilitated the community’s engagement with the design and implementation of the study. The study will provide a basis for a follow-up study, that will aim to improve the understanding of mental health and wellbeing effects over the longer term. It will provide an important and original contribution to understanding river flooding and mental health in rural Australia, a topic that will grow in importance in the context of human-induced climate change, and identify critical opportunities to strengthen services, emergency planning and resilience to future flooding.
Highlights
Climate change is associated with greater frequency, duration, intensity and unpredictability of certain weather-related events, including floods
Respondents identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians constituted 4% of the sample, matching the proportion in the local population
The study is the first of its kind within Australia in a rural community and is an important initiative given the frequency of severe flooding and the likelihood that this will increase given climate change [2] and the substantial harms to mental health that flooding can bring [8]
Summary
Climate change is associated with greater frequency, duration, intensity and unpredictability of certain weather-related events, including floods. Almost all of the rain fell within 24 h and flooded many regions of the Northern Rivers inundating the major population towns of Lismore and Murwillumbah, with extensive damage to housing and infrastructure. For many areas it was as severe as the worst flood on record (1974). In 2015, the economic cost of weather-related and other natural disasters in Australia was estimated to exceed $9 billion with the social cost (e.g. impact on health and wellbeing, education, employment) contributing an equivalent or larger component than physical infrastructure costs [1] This annual cost is estimated to double by 2030, not counting the potential impacts of climate change [1]. Floods are the most expensive weather-related event experienced in Australia [2]
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