Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar 3:11:145.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-145.

Psychosocial impact of the summer 2007 floods in England

Shantini Paranjothy  1 , John Gallacher, Richard Amlôt, G James Rubin, Lisa Page, Tony Baxter, Jeremy Wight, David Kirrage, Rosemary McNaught, S R Palmer
Affiliations

Psychosocial impact of the summer 2007 floods in England

Shantini Paranjothy et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The summer of 2007 was the wettest in the UK since records began in 1914 and resulted in severe flooding in several regions. We carried out a health impact assessment using population-based surveys to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for the psychosocial consequences of this flooding in the United Kingdom.

Methods: Surveys were conducted in two regions using postal, online, telephone questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Exposure variables included the presence of flood water in the home, evacuation and disruption to essential services (incident management variables), perceived impact of the floods on finances, house values and perceived health concerns. Validated tools were used to assess psychosocial outcome (mental health symptoms): psychological distress (GHQ-12), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9) and probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD checklist-shortform). Multivariable logistic regression was used to describe the association between water level in the home, psychological exposure variables and incident management variables, and each mental health symptom, adjusted for age, sex, presence of an existing medical condition, employment status, area and data collection method.

Results: The prevalence of all mental health symptoms was two to five-fold higher among individuals affected by flood water in the home. People who perceived negative impact on finances were more likely to report psychological distress (OR 2.5, 1.8-3.4), probable anxiety (OR 1.8, 1.3-2.7) probable depression (OR 2.0, 1.3-2.9) and probable PTSD (OR 3.2, 2.0-5.2). Disruption to essential services increased adverse psychological outcomes by two to three-fold. Evacuation was associated with some increase in psychological distress but not significantly for the other three measures.

Conclusion: The psychosocial and mental health impact of flooding is a growing public health concern and improved strategies for minimising disruption to essential services and financial worries need to be built in to emergency preparedness and response systems. Public Health Agencies should address the underlying predictors of adverse psychosocial and mental health when providing information and advice to people who are or are likely to be affected by flooding.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ahern M, Kovats RS, Wilkinson P, Few R, Matthies F. Global Health Impacts of Floods: Epidemiologic Evidence. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27:36–46. doi: 10.1093/epirev/mxi004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mason V, Andrews H, Upton D. The psychological impact of exposure to floods. Psychol Health Med. 2010;15(1):61–73. doi: 10.1080/13548500903483478. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Davis TE, Grills-Taquechel AE, Ollendick TH. The psychological impact from hurricane Katrina: Effects of displacement and trauma exposure on university students. Behav Ther. 2010;41(3):340–9. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2009.09.004. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Heir T, Sandvik L, Weisaeth L. Hallmarks of posttraumatic stress: Symptoms Z-scores in a tsunami-affected tourist population. Psychpathology. 2009;43(2):157–64. doi: 10.1159/000207457. - DOI - PubMed
    1. McFarlane AC, Clayer JR, Bookless CL. Psychiatric morbidity following a natural disaster: An Australian bushfire. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1997;32(5):621–8. doi: 10.1007/BF00789038. - DOI - PubMed