Rationale and methods for a cross-sectional study of mental health and wellbeing following river flooding in rural Australia, using a community-academic partnership approach

J. M. Longman; J. Bennett-Levy; V. Matthews; H. L. Berry; M. E. Passey; M. Rolfe; G. G. Morgan; M. Braddon; R. Bailie

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7501-y

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Rationale and methods for a cross-sectional study of mental health and wellbeing following river flooding in rural Australia, using a community-academic partnership approach

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Rationale and methods for a cross-sectional study of mental health and wellbeing following river flooding in rural Australia, using a community-academic partnership approach

J. M. Longman, J. Bennett-Levy, V. Matthews, H. L. Berry, M. E. Passey, M. Rolfe, G. G. Morgan, M. Braddon and R. Bailie

BMC public health, Vol.19, 1255

11/09/2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7501-y

PMID: 31510969

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Abstract

Floods

Disaster management

Mental health

Vulnerable populations

Climate change

Background Climate 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. Methods A 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. Results The 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. Conclusions The 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.

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Title: Rationale and methods for a cross-sectional study of mental health and wellbeing following river flooding in rural Australia, using a community-academic partnership approach
Creators: J. M. Longman - University of Sydney
J. Bennett-Levy - University of Sydney
V. Matthews - University of Sydney
H. L. Berry - University of Sydney
M. E. Passey - University of Sydney
M. Rolfe - University of Sydney
G. G. Morgan - University of Sydney
M. Braddon - University of Sydney
R. Bailie - University of Sydney
Publication Details: BMC public health, Vol.19, 1255
Publisher: Springer Nature
Number of pages: 15
Grant note: NSW Office of Environment Heritage Western Sydney University University of Sydney University of Wollongong Northern NSW Local Health District
Identifiers: 991013173811902368
Copyright: © The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Academic Unit: Faculty of Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Rationale and methods for a cross-sectional study of mental health and wellbeing following river flooding in rural Australia, using a community-academic partnership approach

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