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

Natasha M. Lee-Johnson (), Jennifer L. Scott and Tara Powell
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Natasha M. Lee-Johnson: School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USA
Jennifer L. Scott: School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USA
Tara Powell: School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: asset mapping; mental health; disaster; community-based participatory research (CBPR); environmental justice; churches (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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