1
|
Smith CL, Campbell TCH, Gao CX, Lane TJ, Maybery D, Berger E, Brown D, Ikin JF, McFarlane A, Abramson MJ, Carroll M. Sociodemographic circumstances, health, and life experience shape posttraumatic distress trajectories among individuals exposed to smoke during a large-scale coal mine fire. J Trauma Stress 2023; 36:465-473. [PMID: 37005219 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
The 2014 Hazelwood coal mine fire in the Latrobe Valley, Australia, distributed toxic smoke into surrounding communities over 45 days. This study investigated risk and protective factors associated with four trajectories of posttraumatic distress (resilient, recovery, delayed-onset, chronic) among exposed adults. Participants (N = 709) completed surveys in 2016-2017 and 2019-2020 assessing mine fire-related particulate matter (PM2.5 ) exposure; sociodemographic, physical, and mental health variables; and exposure to other traumatic and recent stressful events. Mine fire-related posttraumatic distress was measured using the IES-R; trajectories were determined according to established clinical significance thresholds. Relative risk ratios (RRRs) were generated from multivariate multinomial regressions. The resilient trajectory was most common (77.0%). The chronic trajectory (8.5%) was associated with loneliness, RRR = 2.59, 95% CI [1.30, 5.16], and physical health diagnoses, RRR = 2.31, 95% CI [1.32, 4.02]. The delayed-onset trajectory (9.1%) was associated with multiple recent stressful events, RRR = 2.51, 95% CI [1.37, 4.59]; mental health diagnoses, RRR = 2.30, 95% CI [1.25, 4.24]; loneliness, RRR = 2.05, 95% CI [1.09, 3.88]; and male gender, RRR = 2.01, 95% CI [1.18, 3.44]. Socioeconomic advantage protected against chronic, RRR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.53, 0.86], and delayed-onset trajectory membership, RRR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.50, 0.94]; social support protected against chronic trajectory membership, RRR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.49, 0.92]. PM2.5 exposure did not determine trajectory. These findings enhance understanding of longer-term posttraumatic responses to large-scale smoke events and can inform mental health initiatives within at-risk communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine L Smith
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Caroline X Gao
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Orygen, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Tyler J Lane
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Darryl Maybery
- Monash Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, Australia
| | - Emily Berger
- School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - David Brown
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jillian F Ikin
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Michael J Abramson
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Matthew Carroll
- Monash Rural Health Churchill, Monash University, Churchill, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tuck D, Wiley J, Patlamazoglou L, Berger E. Distress of tertiary education students in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Psychol 2023; 79:818-834. [PMID: 36189485 PMCID: PMC10092169 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This project sought to characterize levels of distress in Australian tertiary education students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Advertisements were placed on multiple participant recruitment and student run websites associated with various tertiary institutions. Level of overall distress was assessed with the K-10 so that comparisons could be made with previous research. A total of 1072 tertiary education students 18 years or older participated in the study. RESULTS 70.9% of tertiary education students studying in Australia displayed elevated levels of psychological distress during the pandemic, with 23.01% of the sample reporting extreme levels of distress. CONCLUSIONS More tertiary education students experienced severe distress during the COVID-19 pandemic than adults in the general population, as well as before the pandemic. IMPLICATIONS Services are needed to help tertiary education students cope with elevated levels of distress associated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Tuck
- School of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Joshua Wiley
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lefteris Patlamazoglou
- School of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emily Berger
- School of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,School of Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Warragul, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gao CX, Broder JC, Brilleman S, Campbell TCH, Berger E, Ikin J, Smith CL, Wolfe R, Johnston F, Guo Y, Carroll M. Evaluating the impact of Hazelwood mine fire event on students' educational development with Bayesian interrupted time-series hierarchical meta-regression. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281655. [PMID: 36857352 PMCID: PMC9977026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental disasters such as wildfires, floods and droughts can introduce significant interruptions and trauma to impacted communities. Children and young people can be disproportionately affected with additional educational disruptions. However, evaluating the impact of disasters is challenging due to difficulties in establishing studies and recruitment post-disasters. OBJECTIVES We aimed to (1) develop a Bayesian model using aggregated school-level data to evaluate the impact of environmental disasters on academic achievement and (2) evaluate the impact of the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire (a six-week fire event in Australia). METHODS Bayesian hierarchical meta-regression was developed to evaluate the impact of the mine fire using easily accessible aggregated school-level data from the standardised National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test. NAPLAN results and school characteristics (2008-2018) from 69 primary/secondary schools with different levels of mine fire-related smoke exposure were used to estimate the impact of the event. Using an interrupted time series design, the model estimated immediate effects and post-interruption trend differences with full Bayesian statistical inference. RESULTS Major academic interruptions across NAPLAN domains were evident in high exposure schools in the year post-mine fire (greatest interruption in Writing: 11.09 [95%CI: 3.16-18.93], lowest interruption in Reading: 8.34 [95%CI: 1.07-15.51]). The interruption was comparable to a four to a five-month delay in educational attainment and had not fully recovered after several years. CONCLUSION Considerable academic delays were found as a result of a mine fire, highlighting the need to provide educational and community-based supports in response to future events. Importantly, this work provides a statistical method using readily available aggregated data to assess the educational impacts in response to other environmental disasters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline X. Gao
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkview, Victoria, Australia
- Orygen, Parkview, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Jonathan C. Broder
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sam Brilleman
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Emily Berger
- Department of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jillian Ikin
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Catherine L. Smith
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rory Wolfe
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fay Johnston
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Yuming Guo
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew Carroll
- Monash Rural Health, Monash University, Churchill, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Xu R, Gao CX, Dimitriadis C, Smith CL, Carroll MTC, Ikin JF, Johnston FH, Sim MR, Abramson MJ, Guo Y. Long-term impacts of coal mine fire-emitted PM2.5 on hospitalisation: a longitudinal analysis of the Hazelwood Health Study. Int J Epidemiol 2021; 51:179-190. [PMID: 34871381 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyab249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about the long-term health impacts of exposures to landscape fire smoke. We aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to coal mine fire-related particulate matter 2.5 μm or less in diameter (PM2.5) and hospitalisation in the 5 years following the 6-week Hazelwood coal mine fire in Australia in 2014. METHODS We surveyed 2725 residents (mean age: 58.3 years; 54.3% female) from an exposed and a comparison town. Individual PM2.5 exposures during the event were estimated using modelled PM2.5 concentrations related to the coal mine fire and self-reported location data. The individual exposure and survey data were linked with hospitalisation records between January 2009 and February 2019. Recurrent event survival analysis was used to evaluate relationships between PM2.5 exposure and hospitalisation following mine fire, adjusting for important covariates. RESULTS Each 10-µg/m3 increase in mine fire-related PM2.5 was associated with a 9% increased hazard [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.17] of respiratory hospitalisation over the next 5 years, with stronger associations observed for females (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.27) than males (HR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.89, 1.11). In particular, increased hazards were observed for hospitalisations for asthma (HR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.73) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.28). No such association was found for hospitalisations for cardiovascular diseases, mental illness, injuries, type 2 diabetes, renal diseases or neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS A 6-week exposure to coal mine fire-related PM2.5 was associated with increased hazard of respiratory hospitalisations over the following 5 years, particularly for females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rongbin Xu
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Caroline X Gao
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkview, VIC, Australia
| | - Christina Dimitriadis
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Catherine L Smith
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Jillian F Ikin
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Menzies Institute of Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Malcolm R Sim
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael J Abramson
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yuming Guo
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Challenges and Opportunities for End-of-Life Coal Mine Sites: Black-to-Green Energy Approach. ENERGIES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/en14051385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents the possibilities of adapting active mines to generate green energy after their closure using their resources and/or infrastructure. For this purpose, firstly, the temporal horizon of selected mines in Poland was determined, its basic assumption being the analysis of the current state. In the research, 18 mining plants operating within 12 mines in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) were analyzed. The analyzed mines belong to three of the five largest hard coal producers in Poland, and the main object of exploitation is hard coal of energy types. Severe restrictions or even abandonment of further investments in the development of the coal mining industry were taken into consideration (regarding the construction of new shafts or the development of new exploitation levels). When determining the temporal horizon, the challenges that hamper the exploitation based at the levels of natural hazards and depth of exploitation in each mine were considered. Secondly, the criteria for the adaptation of active mines to generate energy are presented. The possibility of using the resources and infrastructural potential of active mines to produce geothermal energy from water, extracting coalbed methane (CBM), and processes of underground coal gasification (UCG) are analyzed. Finally, for a selected example—generating energy from underground coal gasification in Polish mine conditions—a structural analysis of the criteria was performed using the MICMAC method, as the Central Mining Institute has an extensive experience in the development of underground coal gasification trials in coal mines. Based on expert analysis and using structural analysis, the criteria important for UCG were selected. As demonstrated in the article, the MICMAC method can be applied in other scenarios with different criteria to implement new technologies in coal mines.
Collapse
|
6
|
Carroll M. The vulnerability and resilience of older people in rural/regional areas in times of climate, environmental and global health challenges. Australas J Ageing 2020; 39:325-327. [PMID: 33377296 DOI: 10.1111/ajag.12865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Carroll
- Monash Rural Health Churchill, Federation University Australia, Churchill, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|