The Impact of Climate Change on the Mental Health of Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities: A Rapid Scoping Review of Reviews
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Search Strategy
2.2. Document Selection
2.3. Data Extraction
2.4. Data Synthesis
3. Results
3.1. Article Selection
3.2. Quality Assessment
3.3. Article Characteristics
Authors | Dates | Source/Database Searched | Research Question/Review Aim | Population Characteristics in Included Studies | Types of Climate Events | Mental Health Outcome Addressed | Number of Records |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batterham et al., 2022 [28] | up until March 2021 | PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Web of Science | What is the effect of environmental factors associated with climate change on rural communities? | Rural residents, people living in LMICs | Access to green space, drought, extreme heat, floods, land degradation | Anxiety, depression, non-suicidal self-injury, substance misuse, suicidal behavior, well-being | 28 |
Berberian et al., 2022 [32] | 2017 to 2022 | PubMed | What are the effects of extreme weather events on health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority groups, including children, in the USA? | Racial and ethnic groups, children | Extreme cold, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes | Anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance misuse, well-being | 89 |
Deglon et al., 2023 [23] | 2008 to 2021 | MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier, Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, APA PsycARTICLES and APA PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and SciELO | What are the effects of extreme weather events on the mental health of populations in Africa? | People living in LMICs, including children, women, people of low socioeconomic status, farmers | Brushfires, drought, extreme heat, floods | Anxiety, chronic stress, depression, PTSD/trauma disorders, suicidal behavior | 12 |
Herrán and Biehler, 2020 [30] | 2010 to 2020 | Google Scholar and grey literature | What are the effects of climate migration on mental health? | Climate migrants | Climate change, droughts, extreme heat | Anxiety, depression, mood disorders, PTSD, suicidal behavior | 15 |
Jaakkola et al., 2018 [27] | 1990 to 2017 | Ebsco, Academic Search Premiere, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus | What are the primary, secondary, and tertiary effects of climate change on the Saami population? | Indigenous people— Saami | Climate change | Acute stress, anxiety, depression, well-being | 294 |
Kelman et al., 2021 [31] | up until June 2020 | Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PsycNet, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science | What are the effects of climate change in small-island developing states (SIDS) on mental health and well-being? | People living in LMICs | Hurricanes, rising sea levels | Acute stress, depression, PTSD, well-being | 45 |
Lebel et al., 2022 [29] | 2010 to 2020 | PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, GeoBase, and CINAHL | What are the effects of climate change on the mental well-being and daily lives of indigenous people in the Circumpolar North? | Indigenous people, specifically those in the Circumpolar North | Access to land (changes in ice), changes in wildlife, unpredictable weather | Anxiety, substance misuse, suicidal behavior, well-being | 26 |
Lindsay et al., 2023 [22] | 2002 to 2022 | Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, Healthstar, MEDLINE, Embase, and ProQuest | What are the effects of climate events on the health of persons living with disability? | Persons living with disabilities and chronic conditions | Drought, dust storms, extreme cold, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes/typhoons, wildfires | Depression, well-being | 45 |
Rataj et al., 2016 [26] | Up to 2014 | MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CAB Direct, PILOTS, Google Scholar, the WHO’s Virtual Health Library (VHL), and Manual searches in Global Environmental Change and Climatic Change | What are the effects of extreme weather events on the mental and physical health of people living in LMICs? | People living in LMICs | Cyclones/hurricanes, floods, snowstorms, tornados | Anxiety, depression, PTSD | 17 |
Sahu et al., 2023 [24] | 2002 to 2022 | MEDLINE/PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library | What are the effects of climate change on the mental health of indigenous people globally? | Indigenous people | Access to land (changes in ice), unpredictable weather | Anxiety, well-being | 29 |
Sharpe and Davison, 2021 [20] | 2007 to 2019 | MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycInfo, Global Health, Sociological Abstracts, grey literature, and Manual searches of the 2019 volumes of the following journals: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Global Environmental Change, Climatic Change, Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, and Environmental Health | What are the primary and secondary effects of climate change and climate events on the mental health of people living in LMICs? | People living in LMICs | Drought, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes/typhoons snowstorms | Acute stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance misuse | 58 |
Sharpe and Davison, 2022 [21] | 2007 to 2019 | MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycInfo, Global Health, Sociological Abstracts, Grey literature, and Manual searches of the 2019 volumes of the following journals: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Global Environmental Change, Climatic Change, Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, and Environmental Health | What are the effects of climate events on the mental health of children living in LMICs? | Children living in LMICs | Cyclones/typhoons/tropical storms, floods, rainstorms, snowstorms, tornados | Acute stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD | 23 |
Varshney et al., 2023 [10] | 2006 to 2022 | MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycInfo | What are the effects of drought and fires on the mental health of populations at disproportionate risk? | Rural residents, people of low socioeconomic status/unemployed, sexual/gender minorities, ethnic minorities, people with low educational attainment, people with pre-existing health conditions, indigenous populations | Drought, fires | Anxiety, depression, psychosis, PTSD, substance misuse, suicidal behavior | 18 |
Woodland et al., 2023 [25] | 2000 to 2023 | PsycInfo, Embase, and MEDLINE | What are the effects of climate events on the mental health of people with pre-existing mental health conditions? | People with pre-existing mental health conditions | Cyclones/hurricanes, drought, extreme heat floods, wildfires | Anxiety depression, PTSD, substance misuse | 31 |
3.4. Main Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities
3.5. Gaps Identified in the Literature
4. Discussion
4.1. Critical Gaps in the Field
4.2. Strategies for Mitigating Mental Health Impacts
4.3. Strengths and Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Search Strategy
Appendix B. Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) Scores
Record # | Author | JBI Score |
---|---|---|
1 | Batterham 2022 | 10 |
2 | Berberian 2022 | 8.5 |
3 | Deglon 2023 | 9.5 |
4 | Herrán 2020 | 8.5 |
5 | Jaakkola 2018 | 9 |
6 | Kelman 2021 | 9 |
7 | Lebel 2022 | 9.5 |
8 | Lindsay 2022 | 8 |
9 | Rataj 2016 | 9.5 |
10 | Sahu 2022 | 7 |
11 | Sharpe 2021 | 8.5 |
12 | Sharpe 2022 | 6.5 |
13 | Varshney 2023 | 10.5 |
14 | Woodland 2023 | 6.5 |
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Inclusion | Exclusion |
---|---|
Literature or evidence review, systematic or non-systematic | Not a review |
Available in English | Not pertaining to human health |
Describing or mentioning climate-change-related events impacting the mental health of populations at disproportionate risk | Not specifically addressing mental health |
Published from 2013 onwards | Focused on the general population’s response to climate change |
Centered on the effects of climate change on animals’ health or the environment |
Category | Type of Climate Event | Authors |
---|---|---|
Environmental impacts | Access to green space | [28] |
Access to land (including changes in ice)/land degradation | [24,28,29] | |
Changes in wildlife | [29] | |
Rising sea levels | [31] | |
Unpredictable weather | [24,29] | |
Extreme weather events and phenomena | Cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons/tropical storms | [20,21,22,25,26,31,32] |
Drought | [10,20,22,23,25,28,30] | |
Dust storms | [22] | |
Extreme cold (including snowstorms) | [20,21,22,26,32] | |
Extreme heat | [20,22,23,25,28,30,32] | |
Fires (brushfires and wildfires) | [10,22,23,25] | |
Floods | [20,21,22,23,25,26,28,32] | |
Rainstorms | [21] | |
Tornados | [21,26] | |
General | Climate change | [27,30] |
Category | Mental Health Outcome | Authors |
---|---|---|
Anxiety disorders | Anxiety | [10,20,21,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,32] |
Mental health and well-being | Mental health and well-being in general | [22,24,27,28,29,31,32] |
Mood disorders | Depression | [10,20,21,22,23,25,26,27,28,30,31,32] |
Mood disorders general | [30] | |
Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders | Psychosis | [10] |
Substance use disorders | Substance misuse | [10,20,25,28,29,32] |
Suicidal behavior/Non-suicidal self-injury | Non-suicidal self-injury | [28] |
Suicidal behavior | [10,23,28,29,30] | |
Trauma- and stressor-related disorders | Acute stress disorder (ASD) | [20,21,27,31] |
Chronic stress disorders | [23] | |
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/trauma disorders | [10,20,21,23,25,26,30,31,32] |
Gap Themes | Recommended Research Approach/Area | Authors |
---|---|---|
Methodological gaps | Comparisons before and after weather events with longitudinal studies | [20,21,28] |
Comparisons of groups exposed and unexposed to climate events | [10,20,21] | |
Consistent use of mental health scales to allow for cross-study comparisons | [10,25,26] | |
Development and adaptation of mental health scales appropriate for non-Western cultures | [23,26] | |
Measures of long-term and indirect effects of climate change | [20,21,26,28] | |
Research into additional groups that are underrepresented in the literature | Age | [22,25,28,31] |
Gender | [25,31] | |
Indigenous populations and ethnic minorities | [23,24,27,28,29,32] | |
Intersectionality between multiple protected characteristics | [10,22,31,32] | |
Migrants due to climate change | [30] | |
Populations from geographic areas that are underrepresented in the literature, including LMICs | [20,21,23,26,28,31] |
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Alarcón Garavito, G.A.; Toncón Chaparro, L.F.; Jasim, S.; Zanatta, F.; Miliou, I.; Bampa, M.; Huebner, G.; Keck, T. The Impact of Climate Change on the Mental Health of Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities: A Rapid Scoping Review of Reviews. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 1415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111415
Alarcón Garavito GA, Toncón Chaparro LF, Jasim S, Zanatta F, Miliou I, Bampa M, Huebner G, Keck T. The Impact of Climate Change on the Mental Health of Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities: A Rapid Scoping Review of Reviews. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(11):1415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111415
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlarcón Garavito, Germán Andrés, Lina Fernanda Toncón Chaparro, Sarah Jasim, Francesca Zanatta, Ioanna Miliou, Maria Bampa, Gesche Huebner, and Tara Keck. 2024. "The Impact of Climate Change on the Mental Health of Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities: A Rapid Scoping Review of Reviews" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 11: 1415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111415
APA StyleAlarcón Garavito, G. A., Toncón Chaparro, L. F., Jasim, S., Zanatta, F., Miliou, I., Bampa, M., Huebner, G., & Keck, T. (2024). The Impact of Climate Change on the Mental Health of Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities: A Rapid Scoping Review of Reviews. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(11), 1415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111415