By Hugo Francisco de SouzaMar 17 2024Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc. In a recent review published in the journal NPJ Mental Health Research, researchers conducted a scoping review to assess the impacts of climate change on global mental and psychosocial health. They further investigate the outcomes of studies introducing unique interventions or intervention packages aimed at blunting or reversing these impacts.
Climate change and mental health Climate change refers to observable long-term shifts in local or global temperature, rainfall, and weather patterns. Historically, these shifts have occurred gradually, usually as a consequence of natural processes. However, since the advent of the Industrial Revolution, human activity has produced unprecedented levels of greenhouse gas emissions, substantially accelerating global warming.
Recent studies have established the detrimental impacts of climate change on the mental well-being of individuals, with substantial environment-associated impacts observed on patients' psychiatric mortality outcomes . While some of these studies have recommended and even tested interventions against these adverse outcomes, a significant gap exists in intervention adoption and subsequent evidence-based outcomes analyses.
Data extraction was carried out by two independent reviewers using the Rayyan.ai platform. The extraction process focused on publication and sample records and mental health outcomes. However, other relevant details, including theoretical framework, intervention parameters , facilitator characteristics, and involvement of stakeholders in co-designing the intervention, were also recorded.
The stressor reviewed included general climatic changes, stochastic weather events , and phenomena . Notably, despite more than 20 years of research in the field, half of the publications included in this review were produced in the last three years alone, highlighting the surge in academic interest against climate change's adverse impacts.