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Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change Among Vulnerable Populations Globally: An Integrative Review Cover

Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change Among Vulnerable Populations Globally: An Integrative Review

Open Access
|Oct 2023

Figures & Tables

agh-89-1-4105-g1.jpg
Figure 1

Climate Change and Mental Health and Wellness Conceptual Framework [3].

Table 1

Ovid MEDLINE Search Terms.

POPULATIONCONCEPTCONTEXT
Vulnerable populations/Mental health*Climate Change/
vulnerable populationsMental Health/*Global Warming/
IndigenousSolastalgiaClimate change
exp american native continental ancestry group/PsychoterraticGlobal warming
oceanic ancestry group/Climate anxietySea Level Rise
Health Services, Indigenous/Eco-anxietyEnvironmental change
Communities of colorEnvironmental distressGreenhouse effect
minoritiesClimate trauma
Minority Groups/exp Stress Disorders, Traumatic/
Minority Health/PTSD
HomelessPost-traumatic stress disorder
exp Homeless Persons/Anxiety
ElderlyAnxiety/
Aged/Depression
Health Services for the Aged/Depression/
Income inequalityexp Depressive Disorder/
PovertyGrief
exp Poverty/exp Grief/
ChildrenGrieving
exp Child/Environmentally induced distress
exp Infant/Mental well-being
Adolescent/Stress
Pregnant womenStress, Psychological/
Pregnant Women/Resilience
People with chronic illnessesResiliency
Non-native speakersResilience, Psychological/
Migrants
Migrant workers
“Transients and Migrants”[Mesh]
Refugees
Refugees/
Immigrants
exp Emigrants and Immigrants/
Farmworkers
LGBTQ
exp Sexual and Gender Minorities/
Construction workers
Miners
Miners/
Women
Women/
People with disabilities
exp Disabled Persons/
Health Services for Persons with Disabilities/
People with mental illness
Global South
Developing countries
Developing Countries/
Low income
(“people with” adj3 (“chronic illness” or “chronic illnesses” or “mental illness” or “mental illnesses” or disabilities or “chronic disease” or “chronic diseases”))
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Figure 2

Study Flow Diagram.

Table 2

The Vulnerable Populations Conceptual Model (VPCM) With Application to Climate Change and Mental Health (Flaskerud & Winslow, 1998).

RESOURCES AVAILABLERELATIVE RISKHEALTH STATUS
  • Infrastructure, clean water, clean air, stable temperature, access to energy, sanitation, hygiene, access to safe food and nutrition, transportation

  • Economic support during extreme climate events and/or for populations affected by climate-related income loss

  • Community engagement and social support, including the role of elders and community leaders

  • Local, national, and international public- and private-sector relief organizations

  • Organizations providing support and services to Indigenous persons, including established Indigenous Nations

  • School nurses, counselors, teachers, and leaders

  • Health impacts of climate change: injury, death, mental health impacts, population displacement, waterborne diseases, higher economic costs of recovery, infrastructure damage, ecosystem changes, asthma, cancer, CV, heat effects, human development effects, neurological, vector-borne and zoonotic diseases (NIEHS, 2019)

  • Solastalgia is common, and represents the myriad symptoms of climate-related psychological distress present throughout the literature

  • Other mental health impacts include increased suicidality, depression, anxiety/eco-anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, substance use, and behavioral disturbances

  • Median years of potential life lost in people with mental disorders: 10 years (Walker, McGee & Druss, 2015)

  • Individuals in extreme weather have higher rates of morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) (NIEHS, 2019)

  • Provider screening for suicide, depression, anxiety, substance use, and PTSD; follow-up mental health care when present

  • Screening for the myriad symptoms that indicate solastalgia; follow-up mental health care when present

  • Preventative care before climate events is ideal (e.g., in areas prone to routine climate events)

  • Mental health care should be extended beyond brief post-disaster interventions, as effects of adverse events are long-lasting and insidious

  • Psychological First Aid (before and after specific climate events) for vulnerable populations is indicated

  • Consider a trauma-informed approach to care

  • Validated measures should be used for symptom assessment when possible, such: Universal suicide risk screening; PHQ-2: Depression; GAD-2: Anxiety; NIDA: Substance use; Subjective Units of Distress Scale: Intensity of distress; PC-PTSD-5: PTSD (Nicholas et al., 2020)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4105 | Journal eISSN: 2214-9996
Language: English
Submitted on: Mar 9, 2023
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Accepted on: Aug 25, 2023
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Published on: Oct 6, 2023
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2023 Bradley Patrick White, Suellen Breakey, Margaret J. Brown, Jenny Rand Smith, Amanda Tarbet, Patrice K. Nicholas, Ana M. Viamonte Ros, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.