A mixed-methods study of psychological distress following an environmental catastrophe: the case of the Hazelwood open-cut coalmine fire in Australia

Background and Objectives: This study assessed the psychological impacts of six weeks of smoke exposure from the 2014 Hazelwood open-cut coalmine fire in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia, between two and three years after the incident. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of adults in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anxiety, stress, and coping stress, and coping, 2020-03, Vol.33 (2), p.216-230
Main Authors: Maybery, Darryl, Jones, Rebecca, Dipnall, Joanna F., Berger, Emily, Campbell, Timothy, McFarlane, Alexander, Carroll, Matthew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
bushfires
Coal mining
Cross-Sectional Studies
disaster
Disasters
Female
Fires
Hazelwood coalmine fire
Human exposure
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Mental health
Middle Aged
Mixed methods research
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Psychology
smoke exposure
Smoke inhalation
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Stress, Psychological - psychology
Victoria - epidemiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Background and Objectives: This study assessed the psychological impacts of six weeks of smoke exposure from the 2014 Hazelwood open-cut coalmine fire in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia, between two and three years after the incident. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of adults investigated outcomes for the most exposed community, Morwell (n = 3091), compared with a similar, but minimally exposed community, Sale (n = 960). Adopting a mixed-methods research approach, 26 interviews with Morwell residents further examined qualities of the experience. Results: Morwell residents scored significantly higher on the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (difference = 6.53; 95%CI: 5.37, 7.35, p 
ISSN:1061-5806
1477-2205
DOI:10.1080/10615806.2019.1695523