Psychosocial Adaptation to Climate Change in High River, Alberta: Implications for Policy and Practice

In 2020, researchers at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health published a study on the health and social service responses to the long-term mental health impacts of the 2013 Southern Alberta flood, in High River, Alberta, including a list of potential actions which could improve future response. The authors gathered information through an array of qualitative research methods including telephone interviews with key informant health and social services leaders, focus group sessions with front-line health and social services workers, and semi structured interviews with a sample of community members. Insight gained through these methods led to a robust understanding of how psychosocial consequences of a major event were addressed via public health response. Challenges related to both short and long-term interventions were identified including unintended negative consequences associated with each. Following analysis of the information gathered, authors produced a number of potential actions which could work to improve perceived intervention shortcomings not only for those in High River but in locations of a similar size and rural context. Actions were organized by type (capacity building, mental health care training, etc.) and were accompanied by a list of potential psychosocial adaptation outcomes. It is suggested that implemented actions be collaborative, cross-disciplinary; informed by community knowledge and attentive to community needs, should they be successful.

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Understanding and Assessing Impacts

A literature review conducted by the authors show that while the effects of climate change on mental health have been extensively considered, psychosocial adaptation to climate change-related events remains understudied. Given this, the authors report on a study of health and social service responses to the long-term mental health impacts of the June 19, 2013 Southern Alberta flood, in High River, Alberta. The entire town of High River, consisting of approximately 13,000 people, was ordered to evacuate. The flood resulted in four reported deaths, 5 years of intensive infrastructure rebuilding, and reports of lingering mental health effects. The article notes that while the area is prone to flooding due to its location, information from the IPCC’s fifth assessment report as well as local surveillance shows that climate change is increasing the likelihood, frequency and intensity of flooding events. In order to better understand psychosocial adaptation to the 2013 flooding this article utilizes qualitative research methods including telephone interviews with key informant health and social services leaders, four focus group sessions with front-line health and social services workers, and semi-structured interviews with a sample of community members who experienced the flood. A descriptive thematic analysis, with a focus on participants’ perceptions and experiences, was then conducted.

Identifying Actions

The authors first set out to understand how psychosocial adaptation was approached after the 2013 flood event before identifying which actions or improvements to existing action may benefit those affected. Through interviews and focus group sessions, perspectives on the actions taken were provided. Respondents noted that initial interventions and support (known through the article as ‘response interventions’) were quick to arrive to the area but that these external agencies and resources left the community before mental health needs related to the flood were fully met. Conversely, long-term, core mental health services (referred to as ‘recovery support’) were seen as grossly underfunded. Many respondents also noted a hesitancy to seek mental health support from people in the community for fear of stigmatization. Finally, respondents from core community organizations also shed light on the potential for unintended negative consequences stemming from response interventions as some intervention groups had little or no training in mental health first aid. Continuity of care as well as undue competition between internal and external support agencies were also noted. Finally, semi-structured interviews with a sample of marginalized community members highlighted a desire for well-advertised mental health care that was accessible and available to all as well as for effective long-term interventions. With this information, the authors produced a number of potential adaptive capacity interventions, all organized under one of six types including capacity building, mental health care training, awareness-raising, redundant communication networks, and provision of a multitude of psychosocial intervention options. A sample of types and associated actions are listed below:

  • Capacity building – Succession planning between response agencies and core community services
  • Awareness raising – Target awareness-raising efforts among those most marginalized
  • Redundant communication networks – In the immediate aftermath of an acute disaster, ensure that redundant communication networks are in place to enhance family reunification

Outcomes and Monitoring Progress

While none of the suggested actions have been implemented, the potential outcomes of suggested actions are communicated in detail. Many of the suggested actions work to enhance existing efforts while some introduce new avenues for increased adaptive capacity. For instance, capacity building is suggested in part through sustained mental health and social service funding which could in turn help to enhance the consistency of mental health care and social service provision. Additionally, capacity could be built through government-led consultation with core community services about the role of response interventions during and after hazards. This consultation could then provide opportunities to discuss with, and gain insights from, core community service operators about interim measures when core community services are unavailable. By considering how participants related their experiences to climate change, the authors unearthed potential challenges to response and recovery interventions following climate-related hazards surrounding an apparent skepticism by some to link flood events to climate change. Authors speculate that this skepticism may be attributed to the entrenched role of the political economy of the Alberta oil sands. It is posited that hesitancy could also reflect that respondents found the prospect of enduring another flood untenable emotionally or physically.

Next Steps

The authors suggest that the findings of this case study, including potential actions to improve response and recovery interventions following climate-related hazards will be most effectively utilized by communities of a similar size and rural context as that of the Town of High River, Alberta. They note that potential actions will need support from either public health alone or intersectoral support more broadly. They underscore the importance of both informal and formal mental health care and the need for intersectoral action in order to support holistic, long-term psychosocial adaptation. Finally, they advise that successful implementation of the proposed actions will require collaboration across disciplines which are informed by community knowledge and are attentive to community needs. Authors assert that public health practitioners and policy makers are well positioned to spearhead this task.

Resources

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