The Hidden Toll of a Wildlife Icon: Psychological Distress in Communities Affected by Human–Elephant Conflict; A Comparative Study

Background: Elephants are iconic tourist attractions, yet the human-elephant conflict is a significant global issue severely affecting the well-being, security and livelihood of people living in lower and middle income countries. This study compared the psychological distress of people affected by elephant attacks with those who were not affected.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional comparative study conducted in two villages with the same socio-demographic characteristics in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka. Village Bambarahela (experiencing frequent elephant attacks) and Village Maha Messalewe (never affected by Elephant attacks (EAs). Age, sex and occupation matched groups were recruited from both villages. The participants were categorized as distressed and not distressed using the GHQ-12 questionnaire.
Results: A total of 65 individuals from Bambarahela (HEC-affected village) and 61 individuals from Mahamessalawa (non-affected village) were recruited. Psychological distress was identified in 8 participants (12.3%) from Bambarahela, whereas none of the participants from Mahamessalawa met the GHQ-12 cut-off for psychological distress. This difference was statistically significant (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.006). In item-level analysis of the GHQ-12 questionnaire, participants from Bambarahela demonstrated significantly higher proportions of psychologically adverse responses in 7 out of the 12 questionnaire items compared to participants from Mahamessalawa (p<0.05).
Conclusion: These results indicate a possible threat to the mental health of the people residing in villages affected by EAs. Therefore, prudent actions are needed to improve their mental health.