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Impacts of an environmental disaster on psychosocial health and well-being in Karakalpakstan

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  • Crighton, Eric J.
  • Elliott, Susan J.
  • Meer, Joost van der
  • Small, Ian
  • Upshur, Ross

Abstract

The people of Karakalpakstan, along with those of the entire Aral Sea region, are facing a multitude of health problems corresponding to the drying of the Aral Sea and accompanying ecological consequences. In case studies of other environmental disasters, research has shown that environmental exposures may impact not only the physiological but also the psychosocial health of individuals. This research aims to determine the contribution of the environmental disaster to the psychosocial health of people living in Karakalpakstan, a semi-autonomous Republic in Uzbekistan. An interview survey was carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières, with the assistance of the McMaster Institute of Environment and Health, local Universities and local health care workers, on a random sample of 1118 individuals aged 18 years and older in three communities in Karakalpakstan in May/June 1999. The communities were chosen according to distance from the former seashore, urban/rural characteristics and ethnic composition. The survey included questions about perceived general health, the General Health Questionnaire, the somatic symptom checklist of the Symptom Check List-90, questions about perceptions of the environmental disaster, social support as well as socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Findings show that 41% of all respondents reported environmental concern while 48% reported levels of somatic symptoms (SCL-90) associated with emotional distress, above the normalized cut-point. Significant differences in levels of emotional distress were reported between men and women as well as between ethnic groups. Environmental problems are commonly perceived to be the cause of somatic symptoms and are significantly related to self-rated health status.

Suggested Citation

  • Crighton, Eric J. & Elliott, Susan J. & Meer, Joost van der & Small, Ian & Upshur, Ross, 2003. "Impacts of an environmental disaster on psychosocial health and well-being in Karakalpakstan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 551-567, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:56:y:2003:i:3:p:551-567
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    Cited by:

    1. Le–Le Zou, 2012. "The impacting factors of vulnerability to natural hazards in China: an analysis based on structural equation model," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 62(1), pages 57-70, May.
    2. Ying Liu & Liqiong Shu & Li Peng, 2021. "The Hollowing Process of Rural Communities in China: Considering the Regional Characteristic," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Stain, Helen J. & Kelly, Brian & Carr, Vaughan J. & Lewin, Terry J. & Fitzgerald, Michael & Fragar, Lyn, 2011. "The psychological impact of chronic environmental adversity: Responding to prolonged drought," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(11), pages 1593-1599.
    4. Sangaramoorthy, Thurka & Jamison, Amelia M. & Boyle, Meleah D. & Payne-Sturges, Devon C. & Sapkota, Amir & Milton, Donald K. & Wilson, Sacoby M., 2016. "Place-based perceptions of the impacts of fracking along the Marcellus Shale," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 27-37.
    5. Chris M. Messer & Alison E. Adams & Thomas E. Shriver, 2019. "Living with chronic contamination: a comparative analysis of divergent psychosocial impacts," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 99(2), pages 895-911, November.
    6. Alikhanova, Shahzoda & Milner-Gulland, Eleanor Jane & Bull, Joseph William, 2024. "Exploring the human-nature nexus towards effective nature-based solutions: the Aral Sea case," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    7. Huffman, Samantha A. & Veen, Jaap & Hennink, Monique M. & McFarland, Deborah A., 2012. "Exploitation, vulnerability to tuberculosis and access to treatment among Uzbek labor migrants in Kazakhstan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(6), pages 864-872.
    8. Crighton, Eric J. & Elliott, Susan J. & Moineddin, Rahim & Kanaroglou, Pavlos & Upshur, Ross, 2007. "A spatial analysis of the determinants of pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations in Ontario (1992-2001)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 1636-1650, April.

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