Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities

Environmental changes, which have led to frequent and severe climate-related disasters, profoundly affect individuals and communities in Louisiana that display already existing disparities in vulnerability. An increasing body of evidence documents the relationship between the effects of climate chan...

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Main Authors: Natasha M. Lee-Johnson, Jennifer L. Scott, Tara Powell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/5/284
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author Natasha M. Lee-Johnson
Jennifer L. Scott
Tara Powell
author_facet Natasha M. Lee-Johnson
Jennifer L. Scott
Tara Powell
author_sort Natasha M. Lee-Johnson
collection DOAJ
description Environmental changes, which have led to frequent and severe climate-related disasters, profoundly affect individuals and communities in Louisiana that display already existing disparities in vulnerability. An increasing body of evidence documents the relationship between the effects of climate change and poor mental health. This underscores the importance of utilizing an environmental justice framework to assess and innovate strategies for addressing disasters’ unequal burden. As part of a broader Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project on the effects of a community-based intervention to improve mental health resilience in communities affected by disasters and crises, we included 12 churches in a community asset mapping process to identify resources within their communities and discuss actions that could improve their neighborhoods and build additional support. We conducted deductive and inductive content analysis of asset maps and field notes from 32 small groups. We found the following: (1) the church was seen as a central asset; (2) key distinctions in how participants discussed their tangible and intangible resources according to their geography, and (3) the themes of charity, resource facilitation, connecting the most vulnerable, and absence of government support typified how groups discussed possibilities of action.
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spelling doaj-art-47f13a823dab4d0c9a2aef0eac04d47d2025-08-20T01:56:42ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-05-0114528410.3390/socsci14050284Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental InequitiesNatasha M. Lee-Johnson0Jennifer L. Scott1Tara Powell2School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USASchool of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USASchool of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USAEnvironmental changes, which have led to frequent and severe climate-related disasters, profoundly affect individuals and communities in Louisiana that display already existing disparities in vulnerability. An increasing body of evidence documents the relationship between the effects of climate change and poor mental health. This underscores the importance of utilizing an environmental justice framework to assess and innovate strategies for addressing disasters’ unequal burden. As part of a broader Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project on the effects of a community-based intervention to improve mental health resilience in communities affected by disasters and crises, we included 12 churches in a community asset mapping process to identify resources within their communities and discuss actions that could improve their neighborhoods and build additional support. We conducted deductive and inductive content analysis of asset maps and field notes from 32 small groups. We found the following: (1) the church was seen as a central asset; (2) key distinctions in how participants discussed their tangible and intangible resources according to their geography, and (3) the themes of charity, resource facilitation, connecting the most vulnerable, and absence of government support typified how groups discussed possibilities of action.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/5/284asset mappingmental healthdisastercommunity-based participatory research (CBPR)environmental justicechurches
spellingShingle Natasha M. Lee-Johnson
Jennifer L. Scott
Tara Powell
Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities
Social Sciences
asset mapping
mental health
disaster
community-based participatory research (CBPR)
environmental justice
churches
title Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities
title_full Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities
title_fullStr Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities
title_full_unstemmed Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities
title_short Mapping Collective Action: A Case Study of Identifying Assets and Actions During Community Mental Health Workshops to Address the Effects of Environmental Inequities
title_sort mapping collective action a case study of identifying assets and actions during community mental health workshops to address the effects of environmental inequities
topic asset mapping
mental health
disaster
community-based participatory research (CBPR)
environmental justice
churches
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/5/284
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