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. 2022 May 27;19(11):6574.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116574.

Quantitative Evaluation of Psychological Tolerance under the Haze: A Case Study of Typical Provinces and Cities in China with Severe Haze

Haiyue Lu  1 , Xiaoping Rui  2 , Gadisa Fayera Gemechu  1   3 , Runkui Li  4
Affiliations

Quantitative Evaluation of Psychological Tolerance under the Haze: A Case Study of Typical Provinces and Cities in China with Severe Haze

Haiyue Lu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The interplay of specific weather conditions and human activity results due to haze. When the haze arrives, individuals will use microblogs to communicate their concerns and feelings. It will be easier for municipal administrators to alter public communication and resource allocation under the haze if we can master the emotions of netizens. Psychological tolerance is the ability to cope with and adjust to psychological stress and unpleasant emotions brought on by adversity, and it can guide human conduct to some extent. Although haze has a significant impact on human health, environment, transportation, and other factors, its impact on human mental health is concealed, indirect, and frequently underestimated. In this study, psychological tolerance was developed as a psychological impact evaluation index to quantify the impact of haze on human mental health. To begin, data from microblogs in China's significantly haze-affected districts were collected from 2013 to 2019. The emotion score was then calculated using SnowNLP, and the subject index was calculated using the co-word network approach, both of which were used as social media evaluation indicators. Finally, utilizing ecological and socioeconomic factors, psychological tolerance was assessed at the provincial and prefecture level. The findings suggest that psychological tolerance differs greatly between areas. Psychological tolerance has a spatio-temporal trajectory in the timeseries as well. The findings offer a fresh viewpoint on haze's mental effects.

Keywords: haze perception; psychological tolerance level; quantitative evaluation; sentiment analysis; spatio-temporal trajectory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The geographical location of the study area.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A flowchart depicting the techniques used.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The temporal and spatial dispersion of the sentiment score (red (+); blue (−)). (The stars indicate the capitals of seven provinces).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Perception of haze on a temporal and spatial scale. (The stars indicate the capitals of seven provinces).
Figure 5
Figure 5
PM2.5 concentrations have a temporal and spatial distribution. (The stars indicate the capitals of seven provinces).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Indicator timeseries study in Beijing.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Timeseries of tolerance index.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Psychological tolerance’s temporal and spatial distribution in prefecture-level cities. (The stars indicate the capitals of seven provinces).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Temporal and spatial changes of prefecture level city scale psychological tolerance in winter 2013–2019. (The stars indicate the capitals of seven provinces).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Psychological tolerance index types with spatial and temporal variation. (The stars indicate the capitals of seven provinces).
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