Hanigan Ivan C, Schirmer Jacki, Niyonsenga Theophile
Centre for Research and Action in Public Health, University of Canberra, Building 22, Bruce, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
University Centre for Rural Health, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Ecohealth. 2018 Sep;15(3):642-655. doi: 10.1007/s10393-018-1339-0. Epub 2018 May 24.
Droughts may increase the risk of mental health problems, but evidence suggests a complex story with some groups being vulnerable while others are not. Previous studies from Australia have found associations with suicide, depression and distress that vary by age, gender and remoteness. Understanding the effects of drought on mental health is important because drought is predicted to be more intense in some areas in the future. We investigated the associations between drought and distress in a survey of rural Australians by age, gender and farming status. We collected distress data using a survey of 5312 people from across the state of Victoria, Australia, in 2015. Respondents completed the Kessler 10 (K10) Psychological Distress Index, and demographic and general health data were collected. We linked a climatic drought index to the locality of residence of respondents. Associations between distress and drought were analyzed using multivariable regression models with interactions by age, gender and farming occupation. Parts of Victoria were in drought in 2015. Drought duration was associated with higher distress in younger rural women (aged 40-54: odds ratio 1.18 per inter-quartile range increase in drought duration) but not older rural women or men. This pattern did not vary between farmers and non-farmers. Drought was associated with increased distress, but this differed between subgroups. Our results suggest that supporting younger women may be particularly important, and understanding ways older Australian rural women cope may enable us to build adaptive capacity and resilience.
干旱可能会增加心理健康问题的风险，但有证据表明情况较为复杂，一些群体易受影响，而另一些群体则不然。澳大利亚此前的研究发现，干旱与自杀、抑郁和痛苦之间的关联因年龄、性别和居住偏远程度而异。了解干旱对心理健康的影响很重要，因为预计未来一些地区的干旱会更加严重。我们通过对澳大利亚农村居民按年龄、性别和务农状况进行调查，研究了干旱与痛苦之间的关联。2015年，我们对来自澳大利亚维多利亚州的5312人进行了一项调查，收集痛苦数据。受访者完成了凯斯勒10项（K10）心理痛苦指数调查，并收集了人口统计学和一般健康数据。我们将一个气候干旱指数与受访者的居住地点相关联。使用多变量回归模型分析痛苦与干旱之间的关联，并按年龄、性别和务农职业进行交互分析。2015年，维多利亚州部分地区处于干旱状态。干旱持续时间与年轻农村女性（40 - 54岁）的较高痛苦程度相关（干旱持续时间每增加一个四分位间距，优势比为1.18），但老年农村女性或男性则不然。这种模式在农民和非农民之间没有差异。干旱与痛苦增加有关，但不同亚组之间存在差异。我们的结果表明，支持年轻女性可能尤为重要，了解澳大利亚老年农村女性的应对方式可能使我们能够建立适应能力和恢复力。
