Environmental Quality of life, Mental Health and Coping Strategies among Individuals Affected by Flood in Assam

Floods are periodic natural calamities in Assam, India, which not only impact the physical environment but also the psychological well-being of the affected population. The present study examines the association between Environmental Quality of Life (EQL), coping mechanisms (adaptive and maladaptive), and mental health outcomes—depression, anxiety, and stress—among flood victims in the state. There were 140 participants in total. A quantitative approach was used, and data were collected through structured questionnaires from a purposive sample of flood-affected people. Mental health was measured through the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21); coping was assessed through the Brief COPE inventory; and environmental quality was measured through the environment domain of the WHOQOL-BREF. The results indicated that Adaptive and maladaptive coping were positively associated with mental health distress, while Environmental quality had a significant relationship with mental health distress. Furthermore, regression analysis showed EQL and coping styles as predictors of mental health. People adopted both coping mechanisms while coping with floods in Assam, indicating the contextualization of post-disaster mental health interventions.