ArticleNature. Mental health2024
A systematic review of the effects of chronic, slow-onset climate change on mental health.
Article in Nature. Mental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- 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.BMC psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Risk Perceptions of Air Pollution and Climate Anxiety in Residents of High Andean Urban Hillsides: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Article
- Climate change and professional responsibility: a cross-sectional survey among German general practitioners.BMC medical ethics · 2026Article
- Mapping the Ecological Landscape: A Systematized Review of Climate- and Nature-Related Content in Couple and Family Therapy Literature From 2009 to 2025.Family process · 2026Review
- Climate Change and Youth: Fast-Tracking Mental Health Solutions.Journal of applied youth studies · 2026Article
- A review of early childhood psychosocial interventions following extreme weather events in low- and middle-income countries.Perspectives in public health · 2025Review
- Climate trauma from wildfire exposure impacts cognitive decision-making.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Climate Change, Cryosphere Retreat, and Human Health.China CDC weekly · 2025Article
- Coming to terms with climate change: a glossary for climate change impacts on mental health and well-being.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- Eco-anxiety, climate change and the 'bottom billion': a plea for better understanding.BMJ mental health · 2025Article
- Cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) to screen for depression in southwestern Madagascar.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2025Article
- The feasibility of a two-day intensive forest therapy incorporating mindfulness practices for natural disaster-affected individuals: a brief report.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Climate worry: associations with functional impairment, pro-environmental behaviors and perceived need for support.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- HIARA study protocol: impacts of artificial coral reef development on fisheries, human livelihoods and health in southwestern Madagascar.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Floods in southern Brazil: the urgent need for mental health support in the context of climatic disasters.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2024Article
- "There is no hope; only strong wind": How climate change impacts adolescent mental health in southern Madagascar.The journal of climate change and healthArticle
- Developing a climate change vulnerability and impact assessment module as a supplement to WHO's flexible interview for ICD-11 (FLII-11).The journal of climate change and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
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.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.