Landslides, Displacement, and Mental Health in Banjarnegara, Indonesia
Year: 2019
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: TPS 662: Climate change effects on labour, migration and infections, Exhibition Hall, Ground floor, August 28, 2019, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Displacement caused by natural disasters and environmental events may be associated with significant health effects, but little research has examined this relationship. Landslides in particular displace millions of people each year. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of landslide-displacement on mental health and wellbeing so as to improve disaster response and preparedness. This qualitative project was the first part in a mixed-methods study in Banjarnegara, Indonesia, where landslides and flooding are common. We conducted in-depth interviews with 21 participants who were displaced because of landslides and analyzed these interviews using a phenomenological approach. Based on our analysis, we organized respondents’ descriptions of landslide-displacement into three stages. In the first stage, respondents were evacuated during the landslide. During this time, participants experienced extreme disbelief and hopelessness, and many were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In the second stage, respondents stayed in temporary housing while rebuilding or constructing new permanent homes. This stage was characterized by the liminality of living in temporary housing. Not having their own home posed economic and logistic challenges to respondents, and was emotionally taxing. During this stage, participants described wellbeing and mental health as predicated on having their own homes because of the sense of safety and belonging that a home provides. Finally, in the third stage, respondents began new lives in their places of relocation. In this stage, respondents tried to move forward with their lives by finding sources of income in their new locations. However, many reported that they still struggled with traumatic memories, anxiety, and fear, even years after the landslide. Our findings show key intervention points in each stage of landslide-displacement through which mental health outcomes could be improved. These findings have implications for future disaster preparedness programming and relocation plans, particularly in the context of climate change.
Source: Environmental Epidemiology
Authors: Burrows K, Pelupessy D, Desai M, Bell M
Institutions: Yale University, University of Indonesia
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,200
OpenAlex ID: W2981429918