Environmental associated emotional distress and the dangers of climate change for pastoralist mental health

Cooper, Sarah; Hutchings, Paul; Butterworth, John; Joseph, Solome; Kebede, Abinet; Parker, Alison; Terefe, Bethel; Koppen, Barbara van

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101994

Cited by 32 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The myriad costs of living with water insecurity shape many aspects of life. Water insecurity has numerous implications for health and human biology ( Rosinger and Young, 2020 ), such as: heightened exposures to water-borne infectious pathogens and mosquito-borne diseases ( Akanda and Johnson, 2018 ), elevated exposures to environmental toxins ( Stoler et al, 2019 ), higher risk of dehydration in children ( Rosinger, 2018 ), traumatic injuries and risk of sexual assault ( Geere et al, 2018 ; Sorenson et al, 2011 ), heightened food insecurity ( Brewis et al, 2020 ; Workman and Ureksoy, 2017 ), and elevated levels of depression and other mental illnesses ( Boateng et al, 2020 ; Cooper et al, 2019 ; Cooper-Vince et al, 2018 ). In addition, water insecurity can lead to loss of productive time ( Pruss-Ustun and Organization, 2008 ) and increased financial strains ( Javidi and Pierce, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water borrowing is consistently practiced globally and is associated with water-related system failures across diverse environments

Rosinger

Brewis

Wutich

et al. 2020

Global Environmental Change

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Water problems due to scarcity, inaccessibility, or poor quality are a major barrier to household functioning, livelihood, and health globally. Household-to-household water borrowing has been posited as a strategy to alleviate unmet water needs. However, the prevalence and predictors of this practice have not been systematically examined. Therefore, we tested whether water borrowing occurs across diverse global contexts with varying water problems. Second, we tested if household water borrowing is associated with unmet water needs, perceived socio-economic status (SES), and/or water-related system failures, and if water access moderated (or changed) these relationships. Using survey data from the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) study from 21 sites in 19 low- and middle-income countries (n = 5495 households), we found that household-to-household water borrowing was practiced in all 21 sites, with 44.7% (11.4–85.4%) of households borrowing water at least once the previous month. Multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models demonstrate that high unmet water needs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.86], 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.09–3.91), low perceived SES (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05–1.13), and water-related system failures (23–258%) were all significantly associated with higher odds of water borrowing. Significant interactions (all p < 0.01) between water access, unmet water needs, and water-related system failures on water borrowing indicate that water access moderates these relationships. These data are the first to demonstrate that borrowing water is commonly used by households around the world to cope with water insecurity. Due to how prevalent water borrowing is, its implications for social dynamics, resource allocation, and health and well-being are likely vast but severely under-recognized.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water borrowing is consistently practiced globally and is associated with water-related system failures across diverse environments

Rosinger

Brewis

Wutich

et al. 2020

Global Environmental Change

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“…A study from Ethiopia, a low-income country that has a high dependency on the local environment to meet basic human and animal needs, demonstrated that seasonal environmental changes related to water security expose populations to significant emotional distress [ 78 ]. Small island developing states in the Pacific Ocean have been deemed to be particularly at risk and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change and Mental Health: A Scoping Review

Charlson

Ali

Benmarhnia

et al. 2021

IJERPH

215

132

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Climate change is negatively impacting the mental health of populations. This scoping review aims to assess the available literature related to climate change and mental health across the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) five global research priorities for protecting human health from climate change. We conducted a scoping review to identify original research studies related to mental health and climate change using online academic databases. We assessed the quality of studies where appropriate assessment tools were available. We identified 120 original studies published between 2001 and 2020. Most studies were quantitative (n = 67), cross-sectional (n = 42), conducted in high-income countries (n = 87), and concerned with the first of the WHO global research priorities—assessing the mental health risks associated with climate change (n = 101). Several climate-related exposures, including heat, humidity, rainfall, drought, wildfires, and floods were associated with psychological distress, worsened mental health, and higher mortality among people with pre-existing mental health conditions, increased psychiatric hospitalisations, and heightened suicide rates. Few studies (n = 19) addressed the other four global research priorities of protecting health from climate change (effective interventions (n = 8); mitigation and adaptation (n = 7); improving decision-support (n = 3); and cost estimations (n = 1)). While climate change and mental health represents a rapidly growing area of research, it needs to accelerate and broaden in scope to respond with evidence-based mitigation and adaptation strategies.

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“…A final line of evidence examines the relationship between mental wellbeing and emotionally meaningful interactions with water. Indigenous scholars have shown, in a variety of contexts, that emotionally meaningful relationships with water-including water as sacred spaces and as part of ceremonies-are essential for mental health and wellbeing (Cooper, Hutchings, et al, 2019;McGregor, 2015;Wilson et al, 2019). Some recent research suggests these findings may be generally applicable.…”

Section: Background: Lines Of Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stevenson et al (2012), the first to do so, found that Ethiopian women's experiences of water insecurity were associated with psychosocial distress, as measured by the Falk Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-F). Since then, a number of investigative teams have documented a robust relationship between water insecurity and systematically-assessed emotional distress (Cooper, Hutchings, et al, 2019;Harris, Kleiber, Goldin, Darkwah, & Morinville, 2017;Kangmennaang, Bisung, & Elliott, 2020;Thomas & Godfrey, 2018) or symptoms of stress, distress or common mental disorders (Aihara, Shrestha, Kazama, & Nishida, 2015;Aihara, Shrestha, & Sharma, 2016;Boateng et al, 2018;Boateng et al, 2020;Brewis, Choudhary, & Wutich, 2019a, 2019bChindarkar, Chen, & Gurung, 2019;Cooper-Vince et al, 2017Espinosa-Montero et al, 2016;Maxfield, 2020;Mushavi et al, 2020;Shrestha et al, 2018;Slekiene & Mosler, 2019;Snodgrass, Upadhyay, Debnath, & Lacy, 2016;Subbaraman et al, 2012Subbaraman et al, , 2014Tallman, 2016Tallman, , 2019Tsai et al, 2016;Workman & Ureksoy, 2017;Young et al, 2019). Most of these studies have been conducted in lower-income economies, but scholarship based in the United States-in Texas colonias (Jepson, 2014;Jepson & Vandewalle, 2016) and Flint, Michigan (Cuthbertson, Newkirk, Ilardo, Loveridge, & Skidmore, 2016;Fortenberry et al, 2018;Sneed, Dotson, Brewer, Pugh, & Johnson-Lawrence, 2020)-has documented similar associations between water insecurity, emotional distress, and mental ill-health.…”

Section: Background: Lines Of Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Water and mental health

2020

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There is a well‐established connection among water quality, sanitation, and physical health. The potentially important relationship between water and mental health is considerably less studied. Reviewing evidence from ethnography, geography, folklore, indigenous studies, rural medicine, drought research, and large‐n statistical studies, we argue there is now good theoretical rationale and growing evidence of water insecurity as a possible driver of mental ill‐health. Furthermore, some nascent evidence suggests that emotionally meaningful interactions with water might improve mental health outcomes. Leveraging these literatures, we address the many ways in which mental health outcomes are conceptualized and operationalized in water research, including as emotional distress, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, somatic symptoms, and quality of life. We outline arguments supporting seven possible (and likely interlocking) mechanisms that could explain such a relationship: (a) material deprivation and related uncertainty, (b) shame of social failure, (c) worry about health threats, (d) loss of connections to people and places, (e) frustration around opportunity losses and restricted autonomy, (f) interpersonal conflict and intimate partner violence, and (g) institutional injustice or unfairness. However, we explain that as most existing studies are ethnographic, qualitative, or cross‐sectional, a causal relationship between water and mental ill‐health is yet to be confirmed empirically. More research on this topic is needed, particularly given that poorly understood connections may create barriers to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3 (health) and 6 (water). We further suggest that tracking mental health indicators may provide unique and as‐yet underappreciated insights into the efficacy of water projects and other development interventions. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation Human Water > Water as Imagined and Represented

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Environmental associated emotional distress and the dangers of climate change for pastoralist mental health

Cited by 32 publications

References 42 publications

Water borrowing is consistently practiced globally and is associated with water-related system failures across diverse environments

Water borrowing is consistently practiced globally and is associated with water-related system failures across diverse environments

Climate Change and Mental Health: A Scoping Review

Water and mental health

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