Climate change is impacting mental health in North America: A systematic scoping review of the hazards, exposures, vulnerabilities, risks and responses

Aylward, Breanne L; Willox, Ashlee Cunsolo; Vriezen, Rachael; Harper, Sherilee L.

doi:10.1080/09540261.2022.2029368

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…High climate distress was more likely among women and gender-diverse individuals. These findings align with other studies reporting demographic variation in climate distress or related concepts such as eco-anxiety [ 44 – 46 ]. Further investigation into the mechanisms that underpin these individual-level vulnerabilities is crucial.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen,

Oswald,

Lawrance

2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Although the UK has been relatively spared significant geophysical impacts of climate change, many people, youth in particular, are increasingly worried about climate change. The psychological distress associated with the (perceived) threat of climate change has been linked to poorer mental wellbeing but can also promote adaptive responses such as engagement in pro-environmental behaviour. In this mixed methods study, we delve deeper into the experience of ‘climate distress’ among UK residents aged 16–24 (N = 539). We conducted an online survey assessing general mental health, subjective wellbeing, and climate distress with existing scales. We also included novel questions assessing positive and negative life impacts of climate change, open-ended questions on aspirations and priorities for the future, and engagement in pro-environmental and climate actions. Our findings indicate that mental health factors may contribute to vulnerability to climate distress. Predictably, socio-psychological responses to climate change (i.e., frustration over inaction, lack of control, and shame or guilt about one’s own contributions) were linked to higher scores on the climate distress scale. Negatively appraised climate change-related events (i.e., seeing an environment they care about change for the worse) were associated with higher climate distress. Individuals with high climate distress (10.1% of our sample) reported worrying about the impact of climate change on their own future more frequently than any other topic surveyed (including personal finance, career, relationships, politics). Both positive (hope/interest) and negative (anger/frustration) emotions inspired action-taking, especially climate activism, which was negatively predicted by guilt/shame and sadness/fear. Private-sphere pro-environmental actions appeared less driven by strong emotions. Overall, our findings present a more nuanced picture of climate distress in terms of emotional responses, behaviour, and mental health. Longitudinal research is urgently needed to understand how distress may change over time, and the conditions that lead to adaptive and maladaptive outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen,

Oswald,

Lawrance

2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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“…Individuals who were currently experiencing a mental health condition were more likely to report moderate to high climate distress. Demographic variation is commonly found in studies on climate distress or related concepts such as eco-anxiety (41)(42)(43). While these factors are of interest for further study and in the context of providing appropriate care and support, arguably, priority might be given to clarifying the association with mental health and wellbeing outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen¹,

Lawrance²,

Oswald³

2023

Preprint

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In this mixed methods study, which complements an earlier publication (https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00172-3), we delve deeper into the experience of ‘climate distress’ among UK residents aged 16-24 (N=539). We report on data collected from an online survey assessing general mental health, subjective wellbeing, and climate distress using existing psychometric scales. We also included novel questions assessing positive and negative life impacts of climate change, open-ended questions on aspirations and priorities for the future, and engagement in pro-environmental and climate actions. In addition to quantitative results, we analysed free-text responses to two open-ended questions about respondents' hopes for the future, and their experience with climate change and actions in response to it.

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“…[7][8][9][10] Some studies looked at substance use as another health outcome affected by exposure to extreme weather events such as storms, hurricanes, and wild res. [9,[11][12][13] Though quantitative evidence is limited, narrative reviews as well as anecdotal evidence have led to the development of several conceptual frameworks describing the relationship between climate change exposures and substance use. [14,15] Potential mechanisms include changing drug use patterns and access to substances due to altered physical environment, and via poor mental health (e.g., depression, stress, anxiety) in the aftermath of a disaster.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of wildfire on the prevalence of opioid misuse through anxiety among young adults in the United States: A modeling study

Maya,

Mirzazadeh,

Kahn

2024

Preprint

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Background: Exposure to climate change events like wildfires can lead to health and mental health problems. While conceptual frameworks have been hypothesized describing the potential relationship between disaster exposure and substance use, the association remains under-researched and unquantified. Methods: We constructed a quantitative portrayal of one proposed conceptual framework that focuses on the intermediary role of anxiety. We used the Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the impact of wildfire exposure on opioid misuse outcomes through increased anxiety. We searched for and extracted prior empirical evidence on the associations between wildfire anxiety and anxiety-opioid misuse. A base case scenario (S1) was devised in which the impact of wildfire on opioid misuse was limited to increasing anxiety incidence. Two exploratory scenarios investigated the additive roles of altered anxiety phenotype (S2) and increased severity of pre-existing anxiety (S3) due to wildfire exposure. Results: Models show that the prevalence of opioid misuse post-wildfire may rise to 6.0%-7.2%. In S1 (base case), the opioid misuse prevalence ratio was 1.12 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.00 – 1.27). The two exploratory scenarios, with less stringent assumptions, yielded prevalence ratios of 1.23 (95% UI: 1.00 – 1.51) and 1.34 (95% UI: 1.11 – 1.63). Conclusions: Our modeling study suggests that exposure to wildfires may elevate opioid misuse through increasing anxiety incidence and severity. This may lead to substantial health burdens that may persist long after the initial wildfire event, which may offset recent gains in opioid misuse prevention.

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Climate change is impacting mental health in North America: A systematic scoping review of the hazards, exposures, vulnerabilities, risks and responses

Cited by 18 publications

References 63 publications

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Effect of wildfire on the prevalence of opioid misuse through anxiety among young adults in the United States: A modeling study

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