A systematic review of the effects of chronic, slow-onset climate change on mental health
Open accessAbstract
The mental health effects of weather-related disasters are well characterized, yet less is known about the effect of chronic, slow-onset climate change. We systematically reviewed qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies (57 were included) that investigated the effects of slow-onset climate change on a range of mental health indicators. Droughts, changing temperatures over time and local perceptions of ecosystem changes were the most studied slow-onset conditions. Several quantitative studies noted adverse mental health outcomes associated with these exposures, including depression and anxiety symptoms, suicide and non-specific psychological distress. Qualitative studies further elucidated negative emotions related to chronic climate change, including worry, grief and frustration. However, some studies noted mixed or null findings. Results suggest a need for further research to identify causal pathways and mechanisms through which chronic changes in the climate may affect changes in mental health. Instead of focusing on trauma-based frameworks (as are commonly used in studies of acute disasters), this work should holistically consider individual, community and societal factors that shape the mental health consequences of slow-onset climate change. Burrows, Denckla and colleagues performed a systematic review to evaluate the available evidence linking climate change to mental health outcomes.
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Recent systematic and scoping reviews have explored diverse concepts such as climate change perceptions or emotions, reported only on direct impacts, or focused on adolescents.
“Recent systematic and scoping reviews have explored diverse concepts such as climate change perceptions or emotions [22, 23], reported only on the direct impacts of climate change [24–28], or have focused on adolescents [29].”
From The relationship between climate change and mental health: a systematic review of the association between eco-anxiety, psychological distress, and symptoms of major affective disorders (2024) · cites this paper as [27]
The Methods (Inclusion and exclusion criteria; page unavailable) confirm that this systematic review examined mental health in relation to exposure to specific chronic climate hazards. But “only on the direct impacts” is too restrictive: the Discussion (Recommendations for future research; page unavailable) also describes cascading adversity and links between climate change, economic well-being and cultural heritage. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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- Authors
- Burrows, K., Denckla, C. A., Hahn, J., Schiff, J. E., Okuzono, S. S., Randriamady, H., Mita, C., Kubzansky, L. D., Koenen, K. C., & Lowe, S. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Denckla, Christy A.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Mental Health
- Published
- 2024-01-15
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 228-243
- ISSN
- 2731-6076 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12520228
- OpenAlex
- W4390880568
- Semantic Scholar
- 09457cc60139cb2f7582e93cec2f6be68e878031
- Cited by
- 58
- References
- 77
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 2.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH117278)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- slow-onset climate change, mental health, drought, temperature change, depression, anxiety, suicide, psychological distress, grief, worry
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