Exploring Community Psychosocial Stress Related to Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination: Lessons Learned from a Qualitative Study
Author
Calloway, Eric EChiappone, Alethea L
Schmitt, Harrison J
Sullivan, Daniel
Gerhardstein, Ben
Tucker, Pamela G
Rayman, Jamie
Yaroch, Amy L
Affiliation
Department of Psychology, University of ArizonaIssue Date
2020-11-24Keywords
Community EngagementEnvironmental Contamination
mental health
psychosocial stress
public health response
stress coping capacity
Metadata
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MDPI AGCitation
Calloway, E. E., Chiappone, A. L., Schmitt, H. J., Sullivan, D., Gerhardstein, B., Tucker, P. G., ... & Yaroch, A. L. (2020). Exploring Community Psychosocial Stress Related to Per-and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination: Lessons Learned from a Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23), 8706.Rights
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure experience and associated stressors, to inform public health efforts to support psychosocial health and resilience in affected communities. Semi-structured interviews (n = 9) were conducted from July-September 2019 with community members and state public health department representatives from areas with PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Thematic analysis was completed and themes were described and summarized. Reported stressors included health concerns and uncertainty, institutional delegitimization and associated distrust, and financial burdens. Interviewees provided several strategies to reduce stress and promote stress coping capacity and resilience, including showing empathy and validating the normalcy of experiencing stress; building trust through visible action and sustained community engagement; providing information and actionable guidance; discussing stress carefully; fostering stress coping capacity and resilience with opportunities to build social capital and restore agency; and building capacity among government agencies and health care providers to address psychosocial stress. While communities affected by PFAS contamination will face unavoidable stressors, positive interactions with government responders and health care providers may help reduce negative stress. More research on how best to integrate community psychosocial health and stress coping and resilience concepts into the public health response to environmental contamination could be helpful in addressing these stressors.Note
Open access journalISSN
1661-7827EISSN
1660-4601PubMed ID
33255157Version
Final published versionae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3390/ijerph17238706
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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