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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1529558
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovative Strategies for Urban Public Health Resilience in Crisis Situations View all 5 articles
Flood Impact on Men's Mental Health: Evidence from Flood-Prone Areas of Bangladesh Flood Impact on Mental Health: Evidence from Flood-prone area of Bangladesh
Provisionally accepted
Md Rahman 1*
Ifta Alam Shobuj 1
Md. Tanvir Hossain 2
Dr Edris Alam 3
Md Kamrul Islam 4
Md. Kaium Hossain 5- 1 Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- 2 Khulna University, Khulna, Khulna, Bangladesh
- 3 Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- 4 King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
- 5 United International University, Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Disasters can pose significant risks to mental health, often resulting in both temporary and long-lasting psychological distress. This study explores the impact of floods on mental health. A survey was conducted shortly after the 2022 flash flood, in which 452 male participants from the Ajmiriganj and Dharmapasha Upazilas in Bangladesh were surveyed. Mental health was assessed using the DASS-21 instrument, and we examined the variables associated with mental health issues. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis were employed. Around 47% of participants reported severe or extremely severe depression, 41% reported severe or extremely severe anxiety, and 36% reported severe or extremely severe stress. Factors such as age, marital status, type of home, occupation, flood safety rating, and property loss during the 2022 flood were all found to be associated with depression. Anxiety was linked to flood safety, occupation, housing type, education level, and marital status. Additionally, all anxiety-related variables were also associated with stress. Mental health issues were more prevalent among older, married, illiterate participants living in kacha (temporary) housing, as well as among agricultural workers and fishers with low safety ratings. Psychological interventions and disaster risk reduction strategies could help mitigate the mental health impact of floods. The findings of this study have important implications for global disaster management and public health
Keywords: flash flood, Mental Health, stress, Anxiety, Depression, Bangladesh Font: (Default) Times New Roman, PT, Complex Script Font: Times New Roman
Received: 17 Nov 2024; Accepted: 24 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rahman, Shobuj, Hossain, Alam, Islam and Hossain. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Md Rahman, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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