Year of Publication
2024
College
Public Health
Date Available
12-12-2026
Degree Name
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Committee Member
Dr. Erin Hester
Advisor
Florence Fulk
Committee Member
Janie Cambron
Abstract
In 2022, University of Kentucky Women and Philanthropy funded a collaborative study between the UK College of Public Health, UK College of Communication and Information, and UK Libraries. The project set out to document the diverse experiences of Kentuckians during the COVID-19 pandemic via oral history interviews to preserve the memories of the participants and create a record of the unique pandemic experiences of Kentuckians. Those interviews were gathered into what became the Kentucky COVID Storytelling Project.
This study utilizes the Kentucky COVID Storytelling Project interviews to explore the relationship between the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), mental health, and disaster preparedness. Both deductive and inductive thematic analyses of the oral histories were performed during this qualitative analysis, in which we sought to learn more about the lived experiences of Kentuckians during the pandemic.
Interviews were coded for Social Determinants of Health and mental health impacts, and the relationship between those codes and the language used by the participants was used to find emerging themes. Those emerging themes included that the SDOH of others are a primary concern for community leaders and that community leaders had to pivot and perform unexpected duties to fulfil basic human needs for their communities. Analysis also indicated that the unsupported burden experienced by those community leaders left them vulnerable to burnout, and that burnout represents a vulnerability for community resiliency and future disaster preparedness.
Policies should be written to address those vulnerabilities in community leaders by codifying protections for the leaders’ mental health. Mental health metrics and objectives—both for community leaders and everyone else—should be included in national, state, and local initiatives that seek to measure and improve the public health. Those metrics and objectives must also be woven into existing disaster preparedness frameworks to increase community resiliency and decrease the negative impact of future disasters.
Recommended Citation
Brinton, Alaina, "Exploring the Relationship Between Social Determinants of Health, Mental Health, and Disaster Preparedness Through Oral Histories Applying the lessons learned in Kentucky during the COVID-19 pandemic" (2024). Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.). 451.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cph_etds/451
Funding Information
This study was funded by the University of Kentucky Women and Philanthropy grant in 2023.
