When nature strikes: Unraveling the mental health consequences among herders in China's pastoral region

Abstract

Frequent natural disasters in ecological conservation regions threaten economic activities and human health. Using the first field survey dataset on herders' mental health collected in pastoral regions of China, we analyzed the impacts of natural disasters on their mental well-being. Empirical results indicate a significant rise in distress among herders, as assessed by the K6 score, attributable to the effects of natural disasters. This increase is especially pronounced in the context of severe and persistent common natural disasters such as droughts and snowstorms. Further analysis reveals that the adverse effects of natural disasters on herders’ mental health are due to economic loss from increased fodder costs and, more importantly, a social multiplier effect that doubles the psychological impact on individual herders. In response to these negative impacts, disaster warning information, access to modern productive infrastructure facilities, and grassroots informal institutions prove beneficial. These findings underscore the necessity of giving increased attention to the mental health of residents in ecologically fragile regions, especially considering the growing adverse impacts of nature disasters resulting from climate change.