Psychosocial investigation of individual and community responses to the experience of Ovine Johne's Disease in rural Victoria.
OBJECTIVE
This paper explores the psychosocial outcomes for individuals and communities in rural Victoria who experienced the outbreak of Ovine Johne's Disease (OJD).


METHODS
The study uses a qualitative methodology to analyse the minutes of evidence provided by the inquiry into the control of OJD to identify the psychosocial events, experiences and outcomes associated with the control of this outbreak. The inquiry was undertaken by the Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Victorian State Government.


METHODS
Public hearings were undertaken by the committee across several rural Victorian communities and the state capital, Melbourne.


METHODS
The transcripts detail 136 submissions from 98 individuals and 23 organisations.


METHODS
The analysis aimed to provide insight into the impact of the disease on individuals and communities and also to explore the factors individuals perceived as associated with these outcomes.


RESULTS
While the paper identifies that aspects of stock loss associated with the outbreak caused substantial emotional and economic distress, for farmers the most significant finding was the impact of the government control program on individuals, families and rural communities. The control program was perceived as having very limited scientific credibility and its implementation was described as heartless, inflexible and authoritarian. Involvement with the program resulted in farmers reporting emotions, such as, trauma, shame, guilt and stigma. Families became discordant and the sense of community within rural townships fragmented. Psychological outcomes of grief, depression and anxiety emerged as prevalent themes within families and communities.


CONCLUSIONS
These data highlight the need for significant attention to the management of rural disasters, such as, the OJD program.


CONCLUSIONS
There is an acknowledgement in the literature that rural disasters have a significant impact on the well-being of individuals, families and communities. The major focus of the previous research has, however, been on the impact of economic losses with less recognition of the other psychosocial loss experiences that accompany the experience of rural disaster. This paper achieves a clear description of the experiences for individuals (trauma, stigma, sense of personal failure, loss of identity, diminished self esteem and family disruption) and communities (destroyed social cohesion, economic disharmony) caught up in the OJD disaster and explores the factors that individuals perceive as responsible for these outcomes. The mental health outcomes for individuals, such as, loss, grief and depression are also explored within this paper. This paper highlights the psychosocial complexity of the experience of rural disaster for individuals and communities significantly extending the current knowledge base in this area.
Hood
Bernadette
B
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Development, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Seedsman
Terence
T
D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001318:Authoritarianism; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012539:Scapegoating; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D014739:Victoria