Experiencing climate-related events tied to negative impact on mental health

Exposure to extreme climate events is associated with adverse impacts on mental health, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in PLOS Climate.

Daniel Zhao, M.D., from Maimonides Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues evaluated how individual factors and neighborhood social cohesion are associated with negative mental health effects of exposure to extreme weather events. The analysis included data from the 2021 California Health Interview Survey.

The researchers found that just over half of respondents (53%; 12,955) reported being affected by climate events, with more than one in five (22.8%) reporting a negative impact on their mental health. Adverse mental health effects of climate events for respondents or household members were more likely among respondents who were younger, White, female, college-educated, or living in a rural area. Negative mental health effects due to climate events were also much more likely among individuals who had experienced property damage (adjusted odds ratio, 3.73).

“There remains an urgent need to reduce the inequitable harms of climate change on mental health through increasing access to care and targeting resources for vulnerable populations,” the authors write. “Public health interventions with rigorous evaluations are needed to address the mental health impacts of increasingly frequent and severe climate events.”

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