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The Mental Health Outcomes of Drought: A Systematic Review and Causal Process Diagram

Author

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  • Holly Vins

    (Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Jesse Bell

    (Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
    Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites-NC, Asheville, NC 27695, USA)

  • Shubhayu Saha

    (Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Jeremy J. Hess

    (Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30307, USA)

Abstract

Little is understood about the long term, indirect health consequences of drought (a period of abnormally dry weather). In particular, the implications of drought for mental health via pathways such as loss of livelihood, diminished social support, and rupture of place bonds have not been extensively studied, leaving a knowledge gap for practitioners and researchers alike. A systematic review of literature was performed to examine the mental health effects of drought. The systematic review results were synthesized to create a causal process diagram that illustrates the pathways linking drought effects to mental health outcomes. Eighty-two articles using a variety of methods in different contexts were gathered from the systematic review. The pathways in the causal process diagram with greatest support in the literature are those focusing on the economic and migratory effects of drought. The diagram highlights the complexity of the relationships between drought and mental health, including the multiple ways that factors can interact and lead to various outcomes. The systematic review and resulting causal process diagram can be used in both practice and theory, including prevention planning, public health programming, vulnerability and risk assessment, and research question guidance. The use of a causal process diagram provides a much needed avenue for integrating the findings of diverse research to further the understanding of the mental health implications of drought.

Suggested Citation

  • Holly Vins & Jesse Bell & Shubhayu Saha & Jeremy J. Hess, 2015. "The Mental Health Outcomes of Drought: A Systematic Review and Causal Process Diagram," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:12:y:2015:i:10:p:13251-13275:d:57571
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Linda Theron & Motlalepule Ruth Mampane & Liesel Ebersöhn & Angie Hart, 2020. "Youth Resilience to Drought: Learning from a Group of South African Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, October.
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    6. Lisa Kunde & Kairi Kõlves & Brian Kelly & Prasuna Reddy & Diego De Leo, 2017. "Pathways to Suicide in Australian Farmers: A Life Chart Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, March.
    7. Lawrence A. Palinkas & Meaghan L. O’Donnell & Winnie Lau & Marleen Wong, 2020. "Strategies for Delivering Mental Health Services in Response to Global Climate Change: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-19, November.
    8. Lisa Woodland & Priyanjali Ratwatte & Revati Phalkey & Emma L. Gillingham, 2023. "Investigating the Health Impacts of Climate Change among People with Pre-Existing Mental Health Problems: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-33, April.
    9. Joanne Lawrence-Bourne & Hazel Dalton & David Perkins & Jane Farmer & Georgina Luscombe & Nelly Oelke & Nasser Bagheri, 2020. "What Is Rural Adversity, How Does It Affect Wellbeing and What Are the Implications for Action?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-13, October.
    10. Simin Mehdipour & Nouzar Nakhaee & Farzaneh Zolala & Maryam Okhovati & Afsar Foroud & Ali Akbar Haghdoost, 2022. "A systematized review exploring the map of publications on the health impacts of drought," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 113(1), pages 35-62, August.
    11. Matthew Yap & Matthew Tuson & Berwin Turlach & Bryan Boruff & David Whyatt, 2021. "Modelling the Relationship between Rainfall and Mental Health Using Different Spatial and Temporal Units," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, February.
    12. Yeongjin Gwon & Yuanyuan Ji & Jesse E. Bell & Azar M. Abadi & Jesse D. Berman & Austin Rau & Ronald D. Leeper & Jared Rennie, 2023. "The Association between Drought Exposure and Respiratory-Related Mortality in the United States from 2000 to 2018," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-13, June.
    13. Emma K. Austin & Tonelle Handley & Anthony S. Kiem & Jane L. Rich & David Perkins & Brian Kelly, 2020. "Drought, Wellbeing and Adaptive Capacity: Why Do Some People Stay Well?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-17, October.
    14. Babak Jalalzadeh Fard & Jagadeesh Puvvula & Jesse E. Bell, 2022. "Evaluating Changes in Health Risk from Drought over the Contiguous United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-16, April.
    15. Ivan C. Hanigan & Timothy B. Chaston, 2022. "Climate Change, Drought and Rural Suicide in New South Wales, Australia: Future Impact Scenario Projections to 2099," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-12, June.
    16. Richard Freund, 2023. "From drought to distress: unpacking the mental health effects of water scarcity," CSAE Working Paper Series 2023-07, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    17. Kingsley S. Orievulu & Collins C. Iwuji, 2021. "Institutional Responses to Drought in a High HIV Prevalence Setting in Rural South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-11, December.
    18. David A. Fleming‐Muñoz & Stuart Whitten & Graham D. Bonnett, 2023. "The economics of drought: A review of impacts and costs," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 67(4), pages 501-523, October.

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