Abstract
The term Climate Anxiety describes a range of psychological, physiological, and behavioural responses experienced as a reaction to a perceived threat to oneself, others, and/or the environment which are related to climate change (Clayton, 2020). While not pathological in and of itself, climate anxiety can be considered an adaptive response when it stimulates positive behaviours and actions (e.g., pro-environmental behaviours). However, maladaptive climate anxiety can occur when symptoms become difficult to self-manage, cause severe distress, and affect individual functioning (Burke et al., 2018; Taylor, 2020).
Despite a growing body of evidence on the impacts of climate change on mental and physical health, there remains a dearth of research on the impacts of climate change on the mental health of children and young people (Burke et al., 2018). This is significant given that children and young people are one population who may be particularly vulnerable to both the direct (i.e., traumatic environmental events e.g., flooding, hurricanes) and indirect impacts (i.e., concern and worry about the future) of climate change (Crandon et al., 2022).
In England, approximately one in five children and young people (aged 7-24 years) has a possible mental health disorder (NHS Digital, 2022). Research also shows that younger people frequently experience greater levels of worry, concern, and anxiety about climate change (Clayton, 2020; Hickman et al., 2021). Given that climate change is one of the most significant challenges to both global and planetary health in this century (Ágoston et al., 2022), understanding the impacts of climate-related anxiety in children and young people is fundamental to supporting positive mental health outcomes across their developmental stages.
In the present paper, Ramadan et al. (2023) aimed to scope the literature for primary research on mental health and climate-related concerns and other negative emotions in children and young people. The objectives of this scoping review were to map the current landscape, identify gaps in the literature, and outline recommendations relevant to youth mental health practice and research.
Despite a growing body of evidence on the impacts of climate change on mental and physical health, there remains a dearth of research on the impacts of climate change on the mental health of children and young people (Burke et al., 2018). This is significant given that children and young people are one population who may be particularly vulnerable to both the direct (i.e., traumatic environmental events e.g., flooding, hurricanes) and indirect impacts (i.e., concern and worry about the future) of climate change (Crandon et al., 2022).
In England, approximately one in five children and young people (aged 7-24 years) has a possible mental health disorder (NHS Digital, 2022). Research also shows that younger people frequently experience greater levels of worry, concern, and anxiety about climate change (Clayton, 2020; Hickman et al., 2021). Given that climate change is one of the most significant challenges to both global and planetary health in this century (Ágoston et al., 2022), understanding the impacts of climate-related anxiety in children and young people is fundamental to supporting positive mental health outcomes across their developmental stages.
In the present paper, Ramadan et al. (2023) aimed to scope the literature for primary research on mental health and climate-related concerns and other negative emotions in children and young people. The objectives of this scoping review were to map the current landscape, identify gaps in the literature, and outline recommendations relevant to youth mental health practice and research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Blog |
| Media of output | Text |
| Publisher | The Mental Elf |
| Place of Publication | Online |
| Publication status | Published - 29 Jan 2024 |