Eco-anxiety and Climate Anxiety: Bellwethers of the Climate Crisis's Mental Health Impact on Children and Adolescents.

Abstract

Objective: To highlight the need for more research about climate change's effects on child and adolescent mental health.

Method: Articles and reports were searched for in 12 pediatric journals and 10 international societies using the mesh terms "climate change and mental health," "climate change and children's mental health," and "eco-anxiety." Articles were scanned for relevancy using the terms "climate change," "climate crisis," "mental health," "child," "anxiety," and "mental anxiety." Relevant literature was compiled and analyzed.

Results: Although the climate crisis has been highlighted as a critical threat to the physical health of adolescents worldwide, its mental health impacts are far less recognized. Existing research on climate change and mental health is limited, primarily focusing on the acute response of adults directly affected by extreme weather events rather than climate change's emerging indirect mental health effects. Far more limited is the literature focusing on the mental health effects of climate change on adolescents and children, who are hypothesized to bear the brunt of the mental health detriment of climate change. In addition, nonstandardized scales and definitions and lack of nationally representative data, among many other things, hinder current understanding, attention, and evidence-based action to prevent and treat these effects.

Conclusion: Gathering information regarding the climate crisis and children's mental health is paramount. Consequently, the development of a research workforce, a funding stream, and standardized methodology is necessary to properly investigate and aid adolescents and children facing the climate crisis's mental health effects.