New report: Climate change affects young people's mental health

ArabiaWeather - This report was prepared in cooperation with the “EcoAmerica” organization concerned with environmental issues, and aims to document how environmental events related to climate change, such as weather disasters, high temperatures, and poor air quality, can negatively affect or increase the challenges of children’s and adolescents’ mental health. .

The report notes that natural disasters may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder among these age groups, and that there are additional mental health risks that escalate in the long term due to factors such as rising temperatures, drought, and poor air quality. These factors can increase the odds of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, aggressive behavior, poor cognitive performance, and other health conditions.

This report issued on Wednesday is a new addition to a series of studies that EcoAmerica has conducted in cooperation with the American Psychiatric Association since 2014. These studies do not conduct new experiments, but rather summarize existing research and studies that relate to the effects of climate change on mental health and youth development.

The impact of climate change on children begins before birth

According to Dr. Sue Clayton, a professor of psychology at the University of Worcester and the lead researcher on this report, children are more vulnerable to the psychological effects of weather events related to climate change. This is because they are unable to develop coping strategies in the same way that adults can deal with these events.

For families that are exposed to pressure and tension due to climate change, such as extreme heat or forest fires, this stress can have a significant impact on children’s health and mental health.

The report also notes that the mental health impacts of climate change could begin to take effect even before a child is born.

Behavioral and developmental problems children suffer from due to climate change

Children may be exposed to various behavioral and developmental problems as a result of exposure to weather disasters, high temperatures, air pollution, and the mother’s anxiety before giving birth. These problems include anxiety, depression, hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, developmental delay, low level of self-control, and various psychological disorders.

What adds to the challenge is that these effects may affect the development of children's nervous systems, and are usually difficult to treat.

Young people are particularly concerned about climate change

Young people are particularly concerned about climate change, and are often more concerned by the apparent failure of governments and those in power to deal with the issue. This anxiety is associated with many risks, including anxiety, depression, tense social relationships, and even suicide.

Young people know that climate change will affect their future, and this makes them more worried; For them, it is difficult to plan for the future when they do not know exactly what it will look like.

It is worth noting that this does not affect everyone with the same severity. People from marginalized or low-income backgrounds are more vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change than people living in more affluent areas, as individuals from marginalized or low-income backgrounds may have fewer ways to cope with challenges related to extreme weather.

For example, Dr. Clayton points out that higher-income communities often have more vegetation that provides protection from heat and harsh environmental elements.

However, the report stresses that there are steps that can be taken to reduce the impact of climate change on young people's mental health. This includes a greater role for school systems in providing more protective facilities and including curricula on climate change.

Health care professionals can also play an important role by conducting regular and early screenings to detect climate change-related disorders among young people.

Read also:

Climate change | Using alternative energy and other measures to reduce its impacts globally

Climate change | Last September was the hottest climate record in the world