Landslides, Displacement, and Mental Wellbeing in Indonesia

Displacement caused by natural disasters and environmental events may strongly impact mental health but little research has been devoted to this area relative to need. This is particularly the case for low and middle income countries who face the worst effects of global environmental change but receive the least amount of global attention. In response, this study investigated the effects of landslide-displacement on mental health and wellbeing in Banjarnegara, Indonesia, with particular focus on local understandings of each. We conducted in-depth interviews with participants who were displaced because of landslides and analyzed these interviews using a phenomenological approach. The findings revealed that while landslides are sudden-onset, isolated events, the impact of these events is anything but isolated. The experience of landslide-displacement progressed from during and immediately after the landslide to multiple years following the event, as respondents moved from their places of origin, through temporary housing, to their new permanent homes. Landslides shattered respondents’ emotional and physical wellbeing, creating an indelible cut point after which life could only be viewed as “before” or “after” the landslide. This shift in worldview accompanied profound changes in respondents’ expectations of the future and sense of community and religion. Many struggled to reconstruct livelihoods and a sense of place after the landslide, due in part to limited resources and opportunities. Our findings show key intervention points in each stage of landslide-displacement through which wellbeing could potentially be improved. These findings have implications for future disaster preparedness programming, and climate change mitigation, adaptation, and protections for vulnerable populations.