- Title
- Drought, wellbeing and adaptive capacity in Australian rural communities
- Creator
- Austin, Emma Kate
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Drought is recognised as a threat to global health. However, knowledge gaps remain around the impacts of drought on mental health and wellbeing. Australia is the driest inhabited continent and has the world's most variable rainfall, with drought being a regular, reoccurring natural hazard. Rural communities are particularly vulnerable to drought, as they typically rely on primary production and water intensive industries for economic viability. In addition, rural residents experience reduced access to health care services and, in some cases, a culture of stoicism which can result in a reluctance to seek help for mental illness. It is possible that the duration, frequency and magnitude of drought may change in the future, highlighting the necessity for individuals and communities to build resilience and adapt to drought conditions. The overarching objective of this Thesis is to further understanding how to improve the resilience of rural communities to drought. In order to achieve this, the relationship between drought, wellbeing and adaptive capacity must be understood. Research presented in this Thesis investigates the relationship between drought and wellbeing in rural New South Wales (NSW) residents impacted by the Millennium Drought (~1997-2010) and current, ongoing drought conditions. In addition, the research explores the linkages between drought, wellbeing and adaptive capacity, to gain insights into how best to improve resilience to drought. This Thesis uses data from the Australian Rural Mental Health Study (ARMHS), a unique and comprehensive data source that contributes to the novelty of the research. The ARMHS is a longitudinal cohort study that investigated the determinants of mental health and wellbeing in non-metropolitan NSW. Data were collected during the final years of the Millennium Drought and the subsequent three years after the drought had ended. For the first time, this Thesis reports on the concerns of rural residents in relation to water access, availability and quality in the context of climate change. Concerns centred on questions of attribution, experiences of suffering, occurrence of climate extremes and lack of leadership and governance. Rural residents have not previously been asked in a population based study about these concerns, allowing this qualitative analysis to provide a unique, deep understanding that complements subsequent quantitative findings. Drought affects the entire rural community, although farmers are at the forefront of impacts experienced. For this reason, this Thesis considers farmers in isolation and the rural community as a whole. In the analysis that investigated the prevalence and influencing factors of drought-related stress in farmers, it was determined that younger farmers (18-35) who lived and worked on their farm, were remotely located and experiencing financial hardship were most at risk of drought-related stress. This is the first time the ARMHS measure of drought-related stress has been reported on. Existing empirical drought studies use a range of indices to measure drought and wellbeing. However, there have been no studies that investigate the correlation of drought indices and wellbeing measures to determine if existing drought indices effectively capture wellbeing outcomes. Therefore, this Thesis presents the first attempt to correlate a range of different drought indices with wellbeing outcomes. Findings indicate that for any given situation the relationship between drought index and wellbeing outcome changes and that the drought index used should not be chosen arbitrarily. Instead drought index selection must reflect a consideration of drought aspects (duration, frequency and magnitude), drought type, and the unique context of specific location, communities and sectors. Finally, the relationship between drought, psychological distress and adaptive capacity was explored. This analysis was guided by the theory of salutogenesis and the sense of coherence allowing insights to be grounded in the context of why some individuals cope and stay well in stressful situations while others do not. The application of sense of coherence as a measure of adaptive capacity and in the context of a drought-affected population is novel. Findings suggest the capacity of individuals to adapt to drought could be increased by improving and maintaining the wellbeing of rural residents. The need for baseline data when communities are not experiencing drought (or other extremes) is demonstrated. Rural residents in NSW experiencing current drought conditions had higher average psychological distress scores than the Australian population in general, highlighting the necessity to address wellbeing in drought-affected rural communities. Findings demonstrate the significant impacts of the current drought and the need to focus immediate and ongoing support to these communities. Recommendations from the findings in this Thesis are grouped into three categories: (i) research; (ii) policy; and (iii) community programs and initiatives. Key recommendations for research include: replication of the ARMHS and the analysis presented in this Thesis for additional extreme events in other locations in Australia and overseas; further investigation into the ability of existing drought indices to capture existing wellbeing outcomes; and deep qualitative exploration of rural residents’ lived experience. In terms of policy, it is recommended that a streamlined process for applying for drought management/relief funding with transparent and consistent information is introduced, while ongoing drought policy needs to be focused on long term preparedness, sustainability, resilience and risk management. For community programs and initiatives, the recommendations for the future include: reducing the stigma of mental health in rural communities to overcome barriers to help-seeking; education for health services, including general practitioners, and non-medical agricultural support services; continued funding for programs that link rural and remote residents to services and provide community education and support; and better opportunities to maintain and develop community connections and social networks. In early 2020, as NSW is severely impacted by bushfire and drought there is an urgent need for research to account for and quantify the impact of concurrent and consecutive extreme events. However, it is also important that drought policy recognises that drought study and funding is not just needed during drought and should continue during non-drought periods. Findings from this research have implications for clinical practice, community, infrastructure and policy, education and outreach, and can help target drought and wellbeing support where it is needed most. It is demonstrated in this Thesis that there is a complex, interconnected relationship between drought, wellbeing, sociodemographics and community factors, and adaptive capacity. In order to engage in essential drought adaptation, one must be well and have the resources to cope and adapt to stressors and adversity. Drought is an inevitable part of the Australian climate, rendering adaptation a crucial endeavour for the survival of rural communities.
- Subject
- drought; wellbeing; rural; adaptive community
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1433218
- Identifier
- uon:39184
- Rights
- Copyright 2020 Emma Kate Austin
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
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| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 12 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 441 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |