Natural disasters are harmful occurrences caused by the Earth’s geological and meteorological processes, and Bangladesh is recognized as one of the countries most vulnerable to their impact, yet no study has provided an overall perspective on the mental health consequences that follow such events. This systematic review therefore aims to identify the mental health issues and associated risk factors arising from natural disasters in Bangladesh. A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, between April and May 2024, following the PRISMA guideline, and 17 publications were ultimately included. The findings reveal that depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and sleep disturbances are the major mental health problems associated with natural disasters, with prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation ranging from 16.3% to 92.71%, 6% to 92.19%, 32.41% to 58%, and 10.9% to 57.5%, respectively, following disasters such as heatwaves, cyclones, floods, and river bank erosion. Associated risk factors fall into four categories: demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, and family conflict; socio-economic factors such as environmental setting, social support, displacement, and food crisis; behaviour and health-related factors such as physical injury and disability; and other factors such as rising temperature and lower social class. The review concludes that calculative measures are needed to build an overall picture of how natural disasters affect mental health in Bangladesh, and that the government should establish measures to lessen this impact.
Authors: Karim, Md. Zawadul; Al-Mamun, Md.; Eva, Maliha Azad; Ali, Md. Hazrat; Kalam, Abul; Uzzal, Nurul Islam; and Das, Pranto Kumer
Type: Journal Article
Publisher: Frontiers in Psychology
Year: 2024
