Wellbeing recovery inequity following the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence: repeated cross‐sectional studies

• Published in: Australian and New Zealand journal of public health Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 158 - 164
• Main Authors: Begg, Annabel, D'Aeth, Lucy, Kenagy, Emma, Ambrose, Chris, Dong, Hongfang, Schluter, Philip J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Elsevier B.V 01-04-2021; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Access control; Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Aftershocks; Age; Age differences; Age Distribution; Aged; Censuses; Confidence intervals; Construction costs; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; disaster recovery; Disaster victims; Disasters; Earthquakes; Economic aspects; epidemiology; Female; Gender; Health care disparities; Health Status Disparities; Households; Humans; Income; inequalities; Male; Mental health; Mental Health - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; Patient outcomes; Polls & surveys; Population studies; Printed materials; Psychiatric services; Psychological aspects; Public health; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Recovery; Recovery (Medical); Regression analysis; Rehabilitation; Seismic activity; Seismic engineering; Sex Distribution; Social aspects; Social Class; Statistical analysis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Survivors - psychology; Time measurement; Well being; New Zealand; epidemiology; inequalities; disaster recovery; mental health; adults
• ISSN: 1326-0200; 1753-6405; 1753-6405
• DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13054

To track population mental wellbeing following the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes and after‐shocks.
The Canterbury Wellbeing Survey, a cross‐sectional survey of randomly selected adults aged ≥18 years resident in Christchurch, was repeated biannually from April 2013 until June 2017 and annually thereafter. The self‐reported 5‐item World Health Organization Well‐Being Index (WHO‐5) has been elicited from April 2013. Regression analysis was employed to model WHO‐5 score patterns over time and between important socio‐demographic groups.
Between 1,137 and 1,482 adults participated in each survey, totalling 14,100 overall. The mean WHO‐5 significantly increased (p<0.001) from 52.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 51.1, 53.8) in the April 2013 survey to 60.8 (95%CI: 59.7, 61.9) in the June 2019 survey. A significant and sustained household income group disparity existed (p<0.001), even when adjusting for age, gender and ethnic differences.
The disaster appeared to affect the mental wellbeing of all, and recovery was incremental and prolonged, taking a number of years. Those within the lowest household income group had lower mean WHO‐5 scores than their wealthier counterparts at every measured time point.
Recovery takes time, and pre‐existing inequities persist despite the implementation of recovery processes aimed at mitigating these risks.