Temperature exposure linked to adolescent psychiatric symptoms

Exposure to cold in the Netherlands and to heat in Spain appears to be associated with more psychiatric symptoms among adolescents, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Esmée Essers, from ISGlobal in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues analyzed data from the Dutch Generation R Study and the Spanish Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project, which recruited 9,898 women during pregnancy or shortly after birth and 2,270 women during pregnancy, respectively, to examine the association of ambient temperature exposure with internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems in adolescents. The study included 3,934 participants from Generation R and 885 from INMA (mean age at assessment, 13.6 and 14.9 years, respectively).

The researchers found that in Generation R, the mean square-root transformed scores were 2.0 for internalizing, 1.6 for externalizing, and 1.5 for attention problems, while in INMA, these scores were 2.4, 2.1, and 1.5, respectively. Cumulative exposure to cold in the Netherlands was associated with more internalizing problems (e.g., 0.76 higher square-root points at 5.5 degrees Celsius over a two-month exposure). Cumulative exposure to heat in Spain was associated with more attention problems (e.g., 1.52 higher square-root points at 21.7 degrees Celsius exposure over a two-month exposure).

“This study helps quantify the intricate and multifactorial nature of the association of climate change with mental health and can be leveraged to provide evidence for adaption strategies and climate action policies,” the authors write.

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