Berry Helen L, Hogan Anthony, Owen Jennifer, Rickwood Debra, Fragar Lyn
The University of Canberra, ACT, Australia.
Asia Pac J Public Health. 2011 Mar;23(2 Suppl):119S-32. doi: 10.1177/1010539510392556.
Climate change is exacerbating climate variability, evident in more frequent and severe weather-related disasters, such as droughts, fires, and floods. Most of what is known about the possible effects of climate change on rural mental health relates to prolonged drought. But though drought is known to be a disproportionate and general stressor, evidence is mixed and inconclusive. Over time, like drought other weather-related disasters may erode the social and economic bases on which farming communities depend. Rural vulnerability to mental health problems is greatly increased by socioeconomic disadvantage. Related factors may compound this, such as reduced access to health services as communities decline and a "stoical" culture that inhibits help-seeking. Australia has the world's most variable climate and is a major global agricultural producer. Yet despite Australia's (and, especially, rural communities') dependence on farmers' well-being and success, there is very little-and inconclusive-quantitative evidence about farmers' mental health. The aim of this review is to consider, with a view to informing other countries, how climate change and related factors may affect farmers' mental health in Australia. That information is a prerequisite to identifying, selecting, and evaluating adaptive strategies, to lessen the risks of adverse mental health outcomes. The authors identify the need for a systematic epidemiology of the mental health of farmers facing increasing climate change- related weather adversity.
气候变化正在加剧气候变率，这在更频繁、更严重的与天气相关的灾害中表现明显，如干旱、火灾和洪水。目前已知的气候变化对农村心理健康可能产生的影响大多与长期干旱有关。然而，尽管干旱被认为是一种不成比例的普遍压力源，但相关证据却参差不齐且尚无定论。随着时间的推移，与干旱一样，其他与天气相关的灾害可能会侵蚀农业社区赖以生存的社会和经济基础。社会经济劣势极大地增加了农村地区出现心理健康问题的脆弱性。相关因素可能会使情况更加复杂，比如随着社区衰落，获得医疗服务的机会减少，以及抑制求助行为的“坚忍”文化。澳大利亚拥有世界上变化最大的气候，是全球主要的农产品生产国。然而，尽管澳大利亚（尤其是农村社区）依赖农民的福祉和成功，但关于农民心理健康的定量证据却非常少且尚无定论。本综述的目的是考虑气候变化及相关因素如何可能影响澳大利亚农民的心理健康，以便为其他国家提供参考。这些信息是识别、选择和评估适应性策略以降低心理健康不良后果风险的先决条件。作者指出，有必要对面临日益增加的与气候变化相关的天气逆境的农民心理健康进行系统的流行病学研究。
