Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40763988›Full record

ArticleBMJ mental health2025

Is solastalgia associated with mental health problems? A scoping review.

Alicia Vela Sandquist, Leonie Biele, Ulrike Ehlert, Susanne Fischer

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. The causality problem in climate anxiety research.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Eco-Anxiety and Mental Health: Correlates of Climate Change Distress.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Alicia Vela SandquistInstitute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Leonie BieleInstitute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Ulrike EhlertInstitute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Susanne FischerInstitute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland susanne.fischer@unisg.ch.ORCID 0000-0002-9111-9933

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

questionAs global ecological crises accelerate, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the impact of associated environmental changes on mental health. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the link between environmental changes and mental health problems remain underexplored. This scoping review investigates whether solastalgia-a form of distress caused by environmental change-acts as a potential contributing factor to mental health problems. STUDY SELECTION AND ANALYSES: We conducted a systematic search of the databases PsycINFO and PubMed using the keyword 'solastalgia'. Initially, only studies that quantitatively assessed solastalgia and used validated mental health measures were included. A second, non-preregistered search expanded the scope to include studies that mentioned solastalgia and mental health without requiring quantitative solastalgia measures.

findingsThe studies retrieved in the initial search showed that solastalgia was positively associated with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The studies retrieved in the extended search supported these findings, with qualitative studies providing further evidence that solastalgia is a useful construct to understand the emotional responses of persons affected by environmental changes.

conclusionsSolastalgia might be a factor contributing to the detrimental effects of climate change on mental health. Further quantitative research is warranted to inform the design of (preventive) interventions targeting solastalgia and thus mitigate climate change-induced mental health problems.

Indexed as

AnxietyClimate ChangeDepressionStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticHumansMental HealthAnxiety disordersDepression

Identifiers

PMID40763988
PMCPMC12336470

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.