The ripple effect of flooding near one of the more prominent urban rivers in the Gauteng Province, South Africa

This paper investigated the psychological impacts resulting from flooding in affected households in the Setswetla informal settlement. Flooding occurs from the Jukskei River in Gauteng Province, South Africa, with the surrounding areas and communities having experienced recurrent flooding over the past decade. Yet despite the floods, their psychological impacts remain underexplored. This quantitative study, using a positivist paradigm, employed a structured questionnaire administered to 100 purposively selected residents. Data were analysed using Chi-Square Tests of Independence and Binary Logistic Regression to examine links between demographics, environmental perceptions, economic losses, and mental health outcomes, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue.

The results show that recurrent flooding in Setswetla generates interconnected environmental, economic, and mental health impacts. For example, some of the interactions observed include PTSD prevalence being linked to disturbing dreams, emotional numbness, and memory disruption. Moreover, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue were significantly related to PTSD status, indicating a cumulative mental health burden from recurrent flooding.