JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Natural hazards are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change. Research indicates that the unprecedented 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia (also known as the ‘Black Summer Bushfires’) resulted in significant psychological distress among Australians both directly and indirectly exposed to the fires. Previous intervention research suggests that communities impacted by natural hazards (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes and floods) can benefit from interventions that integrate mental health and social support components within disaster preparedness frameworks. The Community-Based Disaster Mental Health Intervention (CBDMHI) is an evidence-based approach that aims to increase disaster preparedness, resilience, social cohesion, and social support (disaster-related help-seeking), and decrease mental health symptoms, such as depression, and anxiety.

Objective:

The aim of this research is to adapt the CBDMHI for the rural Australian bushfire context to enhance community resilience in advance of future fires.

Methods:

Phase 1 consists of qualitative interviews (individual or dyads) with members of the target bushfire-affected rural community. Analysis of this data will include identifying themes related to disaster preparedness, social cohesion, and mental health, which will inform the adaptation. An initial consultation phase is a key component of the adaptation process and therefore Phase 2 will involve additional discussion with key members of the community to further guide adaptation of the CBDMHI to specific community needs, building on Phase 1 inputs. Phase 3 includes identifying and training local community leaders in the adapted intervention. Following this, leaders will co-deliver the intervention. The acceptability and feasibility of the adapted CBDMHI within the community will be evaluated by questionnaires and semi-structured interview. Effectiveness will be evaluated by quantifying psychological distress, resilience, community cohesion, psychological preparedness and help-seeking intentions.

Results:

This study has received institutional review board approval and commenced Phase 1 recruitment in October 2022.

Conclusions:

The study will identify if the adapted CBDMHI is viable and acceptable within a village in the Northern Tablelands of NSW, Australia. These findings will inform future scale-up in the broader rural Australian context. Clinical Trial: Phase 3 has been registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) registration number ACTRN12623001023640.