Pastoralists in the Horn of Africa are among the most vulnerable populations to climate change yet little is known about how environmental change shapes their wellbeing and mental health. This paper presents a formative study into the relations between emotion, wellbeing and water security among pastoralist communities in Afar, Ethiopia. It uses focus group and interview data to demonstrate the close relationship between environmental conditions and emotional wellbeing, and shows how current water insecurity leads to extreme worry and fatigue among the studied population, especially in the dry season. In the context of difficulties of translating mental health clinical classifications and diagnostic tools in cross-cultural settings, the paper argues the inductive study of emotion may be a useful approach for studying environmental determined wellbeing outcomes among marginal populations in the light of understanding climate change impacts.

非洲之角的牧民是最容易受到气候变化影响的人群之一，但对环境变化如何影响其福祉和心理健康知之甚少。本文对埃塞俄比亚阿法尔（Afar）牧民社区之间的情感，福祉和水安全之间的关系进行了形成性研究。它使用焦点小组和访谈数据来证明环境条件与情绪健康之间的密切关系，并显示当前的水不安全状况如何导致被研究人群（特别是在旱季）极端担忧和疲劳。在跨文化环境下翻译心理健康临床分类和诊断工具存在困难的情况下，