Journal article
Beyond Bushfires: Community, Resilience and Recovery - A longitudinal mixed method study of the medium to long term impacts of bushfires on mental health and social connectedness
L Gibbs, E Waters, RA Bryant, P Pattison, D Lusher, L Harms, J Richardson, C MacDougall, K Block, E Snowdon, HC Gallagher, V Sinnott, G Ireton, D Forbes
BMC Public Health | Published : 2013
Abstract
Background: Natural disasters represent an increasing threat both in terms of incidence and severity as a result of climate change. Although much is known about individual responses to disasters, much less is known about the social and contextual response and how this interacts with individual trajectories in terms of mental health, wellbeing and social connectedness. The 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia caused much loss of life, property destruction, and community disturbance. In order to progress future preparedness, response and recovery, it is crucial to measure and understand the impact of disasters at both individual and community levels. Methods/design. This study aims to profile..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the community members, local government and service providers from the participating communities who have supported the development of the study. We also wish to gratefully acknowledge the funding support received from the Australian Research Council for the study, and from the Jack Brockhoff Foundation for infrastructure and salary support for Lisa Gibbs and Elizabeth Waters.