scholarly journals Chronic Mental Health Sequelae of Climate Change Extremes: A Case Study of the Deadliest Californian Wildfire

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1487
Author(s):  
Sarita Silveira ◽  
Mariah Kornbluh ◽  
Mathew C. Withers ◽  
Gillian Grennan ◽  
Veerabhadran Ramanathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Resilience Factors

Introduction. Weather-related disasters, such as wildfires exacerbated by a rise in global temperatures, need to be better studied in terms of their mental health impacts. This study focuses on the mental health sequelae of the deadliest wildfire in California to date, the Camp Fire of 2018. Methods. We investigated a sample of 725 California residents with different degrees of disaster exposure and measured mental health using clinically validated scales for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Data were collected at a chronic time-point, six months post-wildfire. We used multiple regression analyses to predict the mental health outcomes based on self-reported fire exposure. Additionally, we included vulnerability and resilience factors in hierarchical regression analyses. Results. Our primary finding is that direct exposure to large scale fires significantly increased the risk for mental health disorders, particularly for PTSD and depression. Additionally, the inclusion of vulnerability and resilience factors in the hierarchical regression analyses led to the significantly improved prediction of all mental health outcomes. Childhood trauma and sleep disturbances exacerbated mental health symptoms. Notably, self-reported resilience had a positive effect on mental health, and mindfulness was associated with significantly lower depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Overall, our study demonstrated that climate-related extreme events, such as wildfires, can have severe mental illness sequelae. Moreover, we found that pre-existing stressful life events, resilient personality traits and lifestyle factors can play an important role in the prevalence of psychopathology after such disasters. Unchecked climate change projected for the latter half of this century may severely impact the mental wellbeing of the global population, and we must find ways to foster individual resiliency.

Chronic Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change Extremes: A Case Study of the Largest Californian Wild Fire

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarita Silveira ◽  
Mariah Kornbluh ◽  
Mathew C. Withers ◽  
Gillian Grennan ◽  
Veerabhadran Ramanathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Resilience Factors

Abstract Background. Weather-related disasters such as droughts and fires as accelerated by climate change have led to substantial growth in interest in impacted health outcomes. While physical health outcomes have been studied in this context, our understanding of climate change impacted mental health is at its infancy. This study focuses on the mental health impacts of the largest Californian wildfire to-date, the Camp Fire of 2018.Methods. We investigated a sample of 780 Californian residents with different degrees of disaster exposure, and measured mental health using clinically valid scales for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); data were collected six months post-exposure to understand sustained chronic impacts. Data were modeled using multiple-regression analyses. Additionally, we included vulnerability and resilience factors in hierarchical regression analyses.Results. Our primary finding is that direct exposure to large scale fires significantly increased the risk for all three mental health disorders, PTSD, MDD and GAD. Indirect exposure, for those who witnessed but did not personally experience the fires, increased the risk for MDD and GAD. Inclusion of vulnerability and resilience factors led to significantly improved prediction of all mental health outcomes. Low socio-economic status, childhood trauma and sleep disturbances were identified as vulnerability factors, while self-reported resilience had a positive effect on mental health. Mindfulness was associated with lower MDD and GAD symptom scores.Conclusion. Overall, our study demonstrates that climate-related extremes such as fires severely impact long-term mental wellbeing. Additionally, pre-existing adverse life events, resilient personality traits and lifestyle factors play an important role in the development of psychopathology after such disasters. Unchecked climate changes of magnitude projected for the latter half of this century risk severely impacting the mental wellbeing of the global population.

Racial Discrimination Predicts Mental Health Outcomes Beyond the Role of Personality Traits in a Community Sample of African Americans

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262095731
Author(s):  
Yara Mekawi ◽  
Courtland S. Hyatt ◽  
Jessica Maples-Keller ◽  
Sierra Carter ◽  
Vasiliki Michopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Hierarchical Regression

Despite a consistent body of work documenting associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, the utility and validity of these findings have recently been questioned because some authors have posited that personality traits may account for these associations. To test this hypothesis in a community sample of African Americans ( n = 419, age: M = 43.96 years), we used bivariate relations and hierarchical regression analyses to determine whether racial discrimination accounted for additional variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms beyond the role of personality. Bivariate relations between personality traits and racial discrimination were small and positive (i.e., rs ≈ .10). Regression results demonstrated that racial discrimination accounted for variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress independent of personality traits ( ps < .01). These results suggest that personality traits do not fully explain associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, further supporting the detrimental impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of African Americans.

scholarly journals Effects of a Large-Scale Unconditional Cash Transfer Program on Mental Health Outcomes of Young People in Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Kilburn ◽  
Harsha Thirumurthy ◽  
Carolyn Tucker Halpern ◽  
Audrey Pettifor ◽  
Sudhanshu Handa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
Unconditional Cash Transfer

scholarly journals A three-wave network analysis of COVID-19's impact on schizotypal traits, paranoia and mental health through loneliness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keri Ka-Yee Wong ◽  
Wang yi ◽  
Gianluca Esposito ◽  
Adrian Raine
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Anxiety Depression

**This manuscript has been submitted for publication and is likely to be edited as part of the peer-review process. Correspondence regarding this paper should be addressed to Keri Ka-Yee Wong, [email protected].**Background. The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted people’s mental wellbeing. Studies to date have examined the prevalence of mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, loneliness), yet fewer longitudinal studies have compared across background factors and other psychological variables to identify vulnerable sub-groups. This study tests to what extent higher levels of psychotic-like experiences – indexed by schizotypal traits and paranoia – are associated with various mental health variables 6- and 12-months since April 2020.Methods. Over 2,300 adult volunteers (18-89 years, female=74.9%) with access to the study link online were recruited from the UK, USA, Greece, and Italy. Self-reported levels of schizotypy, paranoia, anxiety, depression, aggression, loneliness, and stress from three timepoints (17 April to 13 July 2020, N1 =1,599; 17 October to 31 January 2021, N2 =774; and 17 April to 31 July 2021, N3 =586) were mapped using network analysis and compared across time and background variables (sex, age, income, country). Results. Schizotypal traits and paranoia were positively associated with poorer mental health through loneliness, with no effect of age, sex, income levels, countries, and timepoints. Loneliness was the most influential variable across all networks, despite overall reductions in levels of loneliness, schizotypy, paranoia, and aggression during the easing of lockdown. Individuals with higher levels of schizotypal traits/paranoia reported poorer mental health outcomes than individuals in the low-trait groups.Conclusion. Schizotypal traits and paranoia are associated with poor mental health outcomes through self-perceived loneliness, suggesting that increasing social/community cohesion may improve individuals’ mental wellbeing in the long run.

scholarly journals The relationship between organisational stressors and mental wellbeing within police officers: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrit Purba ◽  
Evangelia Demou
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Occupational stressors in police work increase the risk for officer mental health morbidities. Officers’ poor mental wellbeing is harmful to the individual, can affect professionalism, organisational effectiveness, and public safety. While the impact of operational stressors on officers’ mental wellbeing is well documented, no review has systematically investigated organisational stressor impacts. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to assess the relationship between organisational stressors and police officer mental wellbeing. Methods Systematic review conducted following PRISMA and Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Literature search was undertaken from 1990 to May 2017 on four databases (EBSCOHOST Medline/SocINDEX/PsycINFO/OVID Embase) and grey literature. Included articles were critically appraised and assessed for risk of bias. Narrative and evidence syntheses were performed by specific mental health outcomes. Results In total, 3571 results were returned, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. All included studies were published in English between 1995 and 2016, had cross-sectional study designs, spanned across four continents and covered 15,150 officers. Strong evidence of significant associations was identified for organisational stressors and the outcomes of: occupational stress, psychiatric symptoms/psychological distress, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. The organisational stressors most often demonstrating consistently significant associations with mental health outcomes included lack of support, demand, job pressure, administrative/organisational pressure and long working-hours. Conclusions This review is the first to systematically examine organisational stressors and mental health in police officers. Organisational stressors that can be targeted by interventions and policy changes to secure officer wellbeing, a healthy work environment, and benefits to the organisation and the public are identified.

scholarly journals Urban planning & mental health

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anamika Mishra ◽  
Richard Yu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Healthy City ◽  
Horticulture Therapy ◽  
The Impact

This paper explores the potential for the built environment to serve as a determinant of mental health for the aging population. The exploration of situational and environmental context factors for health, such as low SES, low social capital, and social isolation has been stressed in health promotion. Specifically, the presence of accessible green space and facilitated interaction with the green space through activities such as horticulture therapy have been shown to be particularly beneficial. The quality of green space, distance to residential areas, and other factors have also been linked to the impact of the presence of green space on mental health. Much evidence indicates that incorporation of this space in cities can result an improvement in mental health through increasing physical activity and decreasing stress. Horticulture therapy has shown to have a positive effect on variables linked to mental health outcomes in older adults. This suggests a potential for inclusion of gardening-based community programming for cities with aging populations. However, there is a need for additional studies to confirm the effect size and find additional causal mechanisms to understand correlations between improved mental health outcomes and green space. There is also a need to consider the ways in which there can be large-scale coordination of policies on urban planning and healthy city design in North America.

scholarly journals The longitudinal association between objectively measured physical activity and mental health among Norwegian adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingeborg Barth Vedøy ◽  
Knut Ragnvald Skulberg ◽  
Sigmund Alfred Anderssen ◽  
Morten Wang Fagerland ◽  
Hege Eikeland Tjomsland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Mental health among young people in many countries, including Norway, seems to be deteriorating. Physical activity (PA) has been positively associated with mental health. However, methodological issues related to study design and measurement of PA and mental health outcomes currently limits our understanding of the relationship. The purpose of the present study is to explore the prospective relationship between objectively measured PA and mental health outcomes. More specifically, volume (total PA), intensity (moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA]) and sedentary behaviour (SED) were explored in relation to mental health problems (MHP) and mental wellbeing (MWB). Methods Data from 599 adolescents (54.4% female, mean age at baseline ±SD 13.3 ± 0.3 years) were collected annually during their 3 years (T1, T2 and T3) at lower secondary school. PA was measured using accelerometry. MWB was measured using the ‘Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale’ and MHP by the ‘Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’. Multiple linear regression was performed to explore relationships between changes in PA/SED (between T1-T3) and MWB/MHP (at T3). The term ‘movement categories’ was used to refer to components on the movement continuum and includes volume (total PA), intensity (MVPA) and SED. Results Among boys, any increase in SED was positively associated with MWB (β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.10), whereas a small positive association between an increase in total PA (volume) and MWB was found among girls (β = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.05 to 2.21). There were no associations between changes in any movement categories [total PA (volume), MVPA, SED] and score on MHP at T3, neither for girls nor boys. Conclusion This study provided no clear evidence of any association between change in volume or intensity of PA and MHP among an overall healthy adolescent study sample. There was, however, evidence of a relationship between increased SED and MWB among boys and increased volume of PA and MWB among girls. The relationship between movement categories and mental health may depend on the measurement used to assess both PA/SED and variables of mental health. Future research would be strengthened by researchers clarifying what construct of mental health is being used and measured.

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