https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2021.1018
Geographic variability of post-disaster mental health: case study after the 2017 flood in Bangladesh
Submitted: 10 May 2021
Accepted: 8 September 2021
Published: 28 October 2021
Accepted: 8 September 2021
Abstract Views: 1722
PDF: 679
HTML: 19
HTML: 19
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Every year Bangladesh faces enormous damages due to flooding. Facing these damages the Government adopts various recovery approaches. However, the psychological dimension of any disaster is generally overlooked in disaster management. Researchers have found that the spatial distribution of post-disaster mental health can help the authorities to apply recovery procedures where they are most needed. For this research, Posttraumatic Stress Checklist (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used to estimate posttraumatic stress, major depressive disorder and anxiety following three episodes of severe floods in 2017 that affected at least 8 million people. To better understand the spatial pattern of psychological vulnerability and reach a comprehensive scenario of post-disaster mental health, Moran's I was applied for spatial autocorrelation and Pearson's correlation and regression analysis for a study of the relationship between the psychological aspects. It was found that psychological vulnerability showed a spatial clustering pattern and that there was a strong positive linear relationship among psychological aspects in the study area. This research might help to adopt disaster management policies that consider the psychological dimension and spatial distribution of various psychological aspects to identify areas characterized by high vulnerability and risk so that they can be reached without delay.
Agaibi CE, Wilson JP, 2005. Trauma, PTSD, and resilience: a review of the literature. Trauma Violence Abuse 6:195-216.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838005277438
Alderman K, Turner LR, Tong S, 2012. Floods and human health: a systematic review. Environ Int 47:37-47.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2012.06.003
American Psychological Association, 2018. PTSD assessment instruments. Available from: https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/assessment/
ADB, 2019. Recent significant disaster in the Asia and Pacific Region. Available from: https://www.adb.org/news/infographics/recent-significant-disasters-asia-and-pacific-region
Bass B, 2015. What is spatial pattern in geography. Available from: https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-spatial-pattern-in-geography
Blevins CA, Weathers FW, Davis MT, Witte TK, Domino JL, 2015. The posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): development and initial psychometric evaluation. J Trauma Stress 28:489-98.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22059
Curtis A, Mills JW, Leitner M, 2007. Katrina and vulnerability: the geography of stress. J Health Care Poor Underserved 18:315-30.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2007.0029
Davies R, 2017. Bangladesh-floods worsen as death toll rises. Available from: http://floodlist.com/asia/bangladesh-floods-worsen-as-death-toll-rises
DhakaTribune, 2017. Flooding worsens in three districts. Available from: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/08/20/flood-situation-worsens-three-districts/
DiMaggio C, Galea S, Emch M, 2010. Spatial proximity and the risk of psychopathology after a terrorist attack. Psychiatry Res 176:55-61.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2008.10.035
ESRI, 2005. How Spatial Autocorrelation: Moran’s I (spatial statistics) works. Available from: http://resources.esri.com/help/9.3/arcgisengine/java/gp_toolref/spatial_statistics_tools/how_spatial_autocorrelation_colon_moran_s_i_spatial_statistics_works.htm
Fewtrell L, Kay D, 2007. An attempt to quantify the health impacts of flooding in the UK using an urban case study. Public Health 122:446-51.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2007.09.010
Freedy JR, Simpson WM, 2007. Disaster-related physical and mental health: a role for the family physician. Am Fam Physician 15;75:841-6.
Fung HW, Chan C, Lee CY, Ross CA, 2019. Using the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for DSM-5 to screen for PTSD in the Chinese context: a pilot study in a psychiatric sample. J Evid Base Soc Work 16:634-51.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/26408066.2019.1676858
Gaillard JC, Walters V, Rickerby M, Shi, Y, 2019. Persistent precarity and the disaster of everyday life: homeless people’s experiences of natural and other hazards. Int J Disaster Risk Sci 10:332-42.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-019-00228-y
Ginexi EM, Weihs K, Simmens SJ, Hoyt DR, 2000 Natural disaster and depression: a prospective investigation of reactions to the 1993 Midwest floods. Am J Community Psychol 28:495-518.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005188515149
Goldmann E, Galea S, 2014. Mental health consequences of disasters. Annu Rev Public Health 35:169-83.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182435
Gonzales J, 2019. Areas in Southeast Asia most affected by natural disaster. Available from: https://daydreaminginparadise.com/areas-in-southeast-asia-most-affected-by-natural-disasters/
Gruebner O, Lowe SR, Sampson L, Galea S, 2015. The geography of post disaster mental health: spatial patterning of psychological vulnerability and resilience factors in New York city after Hurricane Sandy. Int J Health Geogr 14:16.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-015-0008-6
Ibrahim H, Ertl V, Catani C, Ismail AA, Neuner F, 2018. The validity of posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) as screening instrument with Kurdish and Arab displaced populations living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. BMC Psychiatry 18:259.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1839-z
Jankowski K, 2016. The effect of disaster on people with severe mental illness. Available from: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/trauma/disaster-terrorism/effects-disaster-mental-illness.asp
Kar N, Bastia BK, 2006. Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and generalized anxiety disorder in adolescents after a natural disaster: a study of comorbidity. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health 2:17.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-0179-2-17
Kim SC, Plumb R, Gredig QN, Rankin L, Taylor B, 2008. Medium-term post-Katrina health sequelae among New Orleans residents: predictors of poor mental and physical health. J Clin Nurs 17:2335-42.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02317.x
Kroenke K, Spitzer R, Williams JBW, 2001. The PHQ-9 validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med 16:606-13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
Kroenke K, Spitzer R, Williams JBW, Monahan PO, Lowe B, 2007. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Ann Intern Med 146:317-25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-146-5-200703060-00004
Maghrabi K, 2012. Impact of flood disaster on the mental health of residents in the Eastern Region of Jeddah Governorate, 2010: a study in medical geography. Life Sci J 9:95-110.
Magowan N, 2018. PCL-5 Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment checklist. Available from: https://www.manchester-psychotherapy.co.uk/anxiety-disorders-treatment-cbt/emotional-and-psychological-trauma-ptsd-treatment-manchester/ptsd-assessment-test-pcl-5-outcome-measure/
Makwana N, 2019. Disaster and its impact on mental health: a narrative review. J Family Med Prim Care 8:3090-95.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_893_19
Maroufizadeh S, Omani-Samani R, Almasi-Hashiani A, Amini P, Sepidarkish M, 2019. The reliability and validity of the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and PHQ-2 in patients with infertility. Reprod Health 16:137.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-019-0802-x
Marshall C, Rossman GB, 2010. Designing qualitative research. Sage Publication, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA.
McFarlane AC, Williams R, 2012. Mental health services required after disasters: learning from the lasting effects of disasters. Depress Res and Treat 2012:970194.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/970194
Mental Health America, 2018. Coping with disaster. Available from: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/coping-disaster
National Center for PTSD, 2019. PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Available from: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/adult-sr/ptsd-checklist.asp
National Disaster Reduction Center of China, 2017. Monsoon Flood, Bangladesh. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/72%20hrs-Bangladesh_Flood_Version1_Final%2008212017.pdf
Niekerk DV, 2011. Introduction to disaster risk reduction. Available from: https://www.preventionweb.net/files/26081_kp1concepdisasterrisk1.pdf
NIRAPAD, 2017. Overview of flood; August 2017. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Situation_Report%20of%20Flood%20_Updated%20on%20August_22%2C%202017.pdf
Davies R, 2017. Bangladesh-floods worsen as death toll rises. Available from: http://floodlist.com/asia/bangladesh-floods-worsen-as-death-toll-rises
Norris FH, Friedman MJ, Watson PJ, Byrne CM, Diaz E, Kaniasty K, 2002. 60000 Disaster victims speak: part I. An empirical review of the empirical literature. Psychiatry 65:207-39.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.65.3.207.20173
North CS, Nixon SJ, Shariat S, 1999. Psychiatric disorders among survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing. JAMA 282:755-62.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.282.8.755
Osório FL, Silva TDA, Santos RG, Chagas MHN, Chagas NMS, Sanches RF, Crippa JAS, 2016. Posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): transcultural adaptation of the Brazilian version. Arch Clin Psychiatr 44:10-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-60830000000107
Prothom Alo, 2017. Banbhasi Jibon. Available from: http://www.prothomalo.com/floods
Rancans E, Trapencieris M, Ivanovs R, Vrublevska J, 2018. Validity of the PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 to screen for depression in nationwide primary care population in Latvia. Ann Gen Psychiatry 17:33.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-018-0203-5
Rathore JS, Jehi LE, Fan Y, Patel SI, Foldvary-Schaefer N, Ramirez MJ, Busch RM, Obuchowski NA, Tesar GE, 2014. Validation of the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression screening in adults with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 37:215-20.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.06.030
Rodriguez-Llanes JM, Vos F, Guha-Sapir D, 2013. Measuring psychological resilience to disasters: are evidence-based indicators an achievable goal. Environ Health 12:115.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-12-115
Tobler WR, 1970. A computer movie simulating urban growth in the Detroit Region. Econ Geogr 46:234-40.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/143141
Trochim WMK, 2018. Sampling. Available from: https://conjointly.com/kb/probability-sampling/
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), 2009. 2009 UNISDR terminology on disaster reduction. Available from: https://www.unisdr.org/files/7817_UNISDRTerminologyEnglish.pdf
Ursano RJ, Cerise FP, DeMartino R, Reissman DB, Shear, MK, 2006. The impact of disasters and their aftermath on mental health. J Clin Psychiatry 67:7-14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.v67n0102
Usman RA, Olorunfemi FB, Awotayo GP, Tunde AM, Usman BA, 2013. Disaster risk management and social impact assessment: understanding preparedness, response and recovery in community projects. In: S. Silvern and S. Young (Eds.), Chapter 10: Environmental Change and Sustainability. IntechOpen Book Series, pp. 269-274.
Weather FS, Litz BT, Keane TM, Palmieri PA, Marx BP, Schnurr PP, 2013. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Available from: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/adult-sr/ptsd-checklist.asp
Weiss RS, 1995. Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies. Simon and Schuster, Canada, pp. 33.
Williams N, 2014. The GAD-7 questionnaire. Occupat Med 64:224.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqt161
Wisner B, Blaikie P, Cannon T, Davis I, 2004. At risk: natural hazards, people’s vulnerability and disasters. Routledge, New York, NY, USA, 5 pp.
World Health Organization, 2002. Disasters and emergencies. Available from: http://apps.who.int/disasters/repo/7656.pdf
World Health Organization, 2019. Disaster and mental health. Available from: http://www.searo.who.int/bangladesh/disastersandmentalhealth/en/
World Health Organization, 2020. Environmental health in emergencies. Available from: https://www.who.int/environmental_health_emergencies/natural_events/en/
How to Cite
Mahmud, K. H., Ahmed, R., & Tuya, J. H. (2021). Geographic variability of post-disaster mental health: case study after the 2017 flood in Bangladesh. Geospatial Health, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2021.1018
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
