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The Flint water crisis has received national attention as a site of environmental injustice. The effects of lead poisoning of children and families in this community will be felt for many years including consequences on health, productivity, and property values. What is less commonly known is that at the same time as the change in the water source associated with lead contamination, a spike in Legionnaires’ cases occurred in Flint. Legionnaires is a lung infection with a 10% fatality rate. This outbreak prompted a study to investigate the relationship between water and the outbreak. As part of a multidisciplinary team, social work researchers were involved in a study to understand the health and social needs and concerns of Flint residents.
Methods: Data were collected using a randomized household sampling method of residents of Flint and comparison communities. Interviews were conducted with residents (n=188) while other team members collected water samples from the home. Interview measures included a needs assessment of 18 domains, including the extent of informal and formal service utilization, resilience, trauma, and trust in local and national organizations.
Approximately two-thirds of the sample (63%) was female, ranging in age from 22 to 101 (M = 51.27, SD = 15.15). The sample was approximately half African American (51.3%) and half Caucasian (48.1%). Employment was low, with 39.1% reporting being employed. This may slightly underestimate employment rates (50.6% in US Census) due to availability for household interview and water testing. Data was collected on all household members, with an average of 3.88 (SD = 1.77) residents in each home.
Results: The six most frequent concerns causing stress in the household included financial issues, anxiety, grief, fatigue, health and home conditions. An index of concerns found that residents had on average 2.41 (SD = 3.12) areas of concern. Since the water crisis, residents were more likely to report that anxiety, depression, aggression/violence, fatigue and fear were concerns, compared to before the crisis. One third of Flint residents had requested assistance with their identified needs.
Residents were significantly less trusting of various city, state and federal agencies after 2014 (M = 2.76, SD = 0.81) compared to before the crisis (M = 3.18, SD = .77), t(177)=7.83, p<001. Significant decreases were found for city, state, and federal governmental agencies, such as health department and environmental protection. No significant change in trust was found for local agencies, non-profit organizations, or university researchers. Resident’s resilience was reported at mean level of 4.33 out of 5, indicating that residents remain hopeful and confident in their ability to cope, despite significant adversity.
Implications:
The researchers sought to document how residents addressed the adverse effects of dangerous environmental conditions, their challenges and how they gained access to needed resources. Although one-third of Flint residents requested assistance, many more made use of existing supports and demonstrated their ability to bounce back. Assessing and building upon resilience enables communities and households to understand, and subsequently strengthen their ability to survive and recover from disasters.