Effects of riverbank erosion on mental health of the affected people in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: In Bangladesh, riverbank erosion is a major problem that regularly displaces millions of people and affects their mental health every year. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective is to explore the effects of riverbank erosion on mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress in Bangladesh. METHODS: We conducted a household survey from August 2019 to November 2019 on randomly selected adult respondents from Rajbari District located along the Ganges River and Tangail District located along the Brahmaputra River. The respondents were divided into two groups: exposed and non-exposed to riverbank erosion. All participants were asked to complete self-reported questionnaires on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, and other socio-demographic, economic and riverbanks erosion-related factors. We performed Chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression analysis to explore the significant risk factors (P<0.05) of mental illness (depression, anxiety and stress). RESULTS: We surveyed 611 households, of whom 410 were from Rajbari and 201 were from Tangail. Among 611 respondents, 509 (83.31%) were exposed by riverbank erosion whereas 102 (16.69%) were non-exposed. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress (DAS) was 38.30%, 76.60%, 32.41%, respectively, and they were significantly higher among the exposed group than the non-exposed group (depression: 45.19% versus 3.92%, P<0.001; anxiety: 82.71% versus 46.08%, P<0.001; stress: 38.11% versus 3.92%, P<0.001). The respondents exposed to river erosion were respectively 8.28, 2.26 and 5.09 times more likely to develop DAS disorder compared to their non-exposed counterparts (OR(D) = 8.28, 95% CI = 2.75–24.89; OR(A) = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.31–3.88; OR(S) = 5.09, 95% CI = 1.64–15.76). Females and those who lost their houses and displaced, were more likely to have DAS disorder compared to their respective counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The exposed people were more likely to experience mental health problem and demand some social safety net programs with special focus on female and those who lost houses and displaced.