{"title":"The psychological impacts of climate change on pregnant women in Türkiye","authors":"Merve Işık , Pınar Akbaş , Sultan Özkan Şat","doi":"10.1016/j.wombi.2025.102111","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Climate change poses serious risks to both physical and mental health. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable, as the stress and anxiety associated with this period may be intensified by climate-related challenges, potentially affecting maternal well-being and pregnancy outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This study was conducted to determine the repercussions of climate change on the mental health of pregnant women.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study utilized a descriptive qualitative design. The data were collected by holding individual semi-structured interviews with pregnant women (n = 17). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The main themes of this study were ‘anxiety and insecurity about the future,’ ‘psychological burdens caused by climate change,’ ‘coping with psychological burdens associated with the impact of climate change,’ and ‘expectations from healthcare professionals’. The main themes consist of six sub-themes: ‘concerns about the future of children,’ ‘uncertainty about the future,’ ‘climate anxiety and stress,’ ‘sense of ecological loss and sadness,’ ‘avoidance,’ and ‘spiritual practices’.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Climate change adversely affects the quality of life of pregnant women and imposes a significant burden on their mental health. Healthcare professionals should integrate climate-related awareness and coping strategies into their practice and promote broader public awareness. Such efforts can contribute to policies that safeguard the rights of pregnant women and their families to live in a healthy and sustainable environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48868,"journal":{"name":"Women and Birth","volume":"38 6","pages":"Article 102111"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Women and Birth","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519225002458","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Climate change poses serious risks to both physical and mental health. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable, as the stress and anxiety associated with this period may be intensified by climate-related challenges, potentially affecting maternal well-being and pregnancy outcomes.
Aim
This study was conducted to determine the repercussions of climate change on the mental health of pregnant women.
Methods
This study utilized a descriptive qualitative design. The data were collected by holding individual semi-structured interviews with pregnant women (n = 17). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results
The main themes of this study were ‘anxiety and insecurity about the future,’ ‘psychological burdens caused by climate change,’ ‘coping with psychological burdens associated with the impact of climate change,’ and ‘expectations from healthcare professionals’. The main themes consist of six sub-themes: ‘concerns about the future of children,’ ‘uncertainty about the future,’ ‘climate anxiety and stress,’ ‘sense of ecological loss and sadness,’ ‘avoidance,’ and ‘spiritual practices’.
Conclusion
Climate change adversely affects the quality of life of pregnant women and imposes a significant burden on their mental health. Healthcare professionals should integrate climate-related awareness and coping strategies into their practice and promote broader public awareness. Such efforts can contribute to policies that safeguard the rights of pregnant women and their families to live in a healthy and sustainable environment.
期刊介绍:
Women and Birth is the official journal of the Australian College of Midwives (ACM). It is a midwifery journal that publishes on all matters that affect women and birth, from pre-conceptual counselling, through pregnancy, birth, and the first six weeks postnatal. All papers accepted will draw from and contribute to the relevant contemporary research, policy and/or theoretical literature. We seek research papers, quality assurances papers (with ethical approval) discussion papers, clinical practice papers, case studies and original literature reviews.
Our women-centred focus is inclusive of the family, fetus and newborn, both well and sick, and covers both healthy and complex pregnancies and births. The journal seeks papers that take a woman-centred focus on maternity services, epidemiology, primary health care, reproductive psycho/physiology, midwifery practice, theory, research, education, management and leadership. We also seek relevant papers on maternal mental health and neonatal well-being, natural and complementary therapies, local, national and international policy, management, politics, economics and societal and cultural issues as they affect childbearing women and their families. Topics may include, where appropriate, neonatal care, child and family health, women’s health, related to pregnancy, birth and the postpartum, including lactation. Interprofessional papers relevant to midwifery are welcome. Articles are double blind peer-reviewed, primarily by experts in the field of the submitted work.