Australian Youth Mental Health and Climate Change Concern After the Black Summer Bushfires

Young people's experiences of the Northern Rivers 2017 flood and its effects on their mental health

OBJECTIVE

To explore young people's (YP) experiences of catastrophic flooding in the Northern Rivers area of northern NSW in 2017 and its effect on their mental health.

DESIGN

Content analysis of free-text survey responses (written responses to open questions, rather than selecting a response option).

SETTING

Northern Rivers NSW.

PARTICIPANTS

YP aged 16-25 years who were Northern Rivers residents at the time of the 2017 flood.

RESULTS

YP found their flood experience to be novel and challenging. They expressed worry, distress, anxiety, and worsened pre-existing mental health issues as a result of the flood. YP reported a number of primary stressors (inadequate preparedness, warning and support during the flood) and secondary stressors (loss/damage of property and possessions, financial strain and disruptions to daily life) which potentially contributed to poor mental health. Some YP reported positive outcomes from their flood experience, notably increased community connectedness and personal resilience. However, they also expressed concern for the future, particularly potential reoccurrence of extreme floods as well as climate change. YP conveyed a desire for better community involvement to improve preparedness for future floods and a clear motivation to take action on climate change.

CONCLUSION

The flood was a challenging experience for YP which was commonly described as negatively affecting their mental health. Understanding what YP view as significant events or issues arising from their personal flood experience may help target support mechanisms and services to maintain their mental. More focus on community-based initiatives to improve disaster preparedness can support mental health in YP.

Effect of wildfire on the prevalence of opioid misuse through anxiety among young adults in the United States: A modeling study

Background

Exposure to climate change events like wildfires can lead to health and mental health problems. While conceptual frameworks have been hypothesized describing the potential relationship between disaster exposure and substance use, the association remains under-researched and unquantified.

Methods

We constructed a quantitative portrayal of one proposed conceptual framework that focuses on the intermediary role of anxiety. We used the Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the impact of wildfire exposure on opioid misuse outcomes through increased anxiety. We searched for and extracted prior empirical evidence on the associations between wildfire anxiety and anxiety-opioid misuse. A base case scenario (S1) was devised in which the impact of wildfire on opioid misuse was limited to increasing anxiety incidence. Two exploratory scenarios investigated the additive roles of altered anxiety phenotype (S2) and increased severity of pre-existing anxiety (S3) due to wildfire exposure.

Results

Models show that the prevalence of opioid misuse post-wildfire may rise to 6.0%-7.2%. In S1 (base case), the opioid misuse prevalence ratio was 1.12 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.00 - 1.27). The two exploratory scenarios, with less stringent assumptions, yielded prevalence ratios of 1.23 (95% UI: 1.00 - 1.51) and 1.34 (95% UI: 1.11 - 1.63).

Conclusions

Our modeling study suggests that exposure to wildfires may elevate opioid misuse through increasing anxiety incidence and severity. This may lead to substantial health burdens that may persist long after the initial wildfire event, which may offset recent gains in opioid misuse prevention.

Climate Change Perception and Mental Health. Results from a Systematic Review of the Literature

Climate change is one of the main global challenges and influences various aspects of human health. Numerous studies have indeed demonstrated an association between extreme climate-related events and physical and mental health outcomes, but little is still known about the association between the perception/awareness of climate change and mental health. In accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO. The included studies were original observational studies published in English, reporting the association between the perception/awareness of climate change and mental health. A total of 3018 articles were identified. A total of 10 observational studies were included. The period covered in the included studies ranged between 2012 and 2022. Climate change perception is consistently associated with adverse mental health effects across different types of estimates. In particular, the studies identified an association between a higher level of perception/awareness of climate change and depression, anxiety, eco-anxiety, stress, adjustment disorder, substance use, dysphoria, and even thoughts of suicide. Qualitative data underscore the impact on daily activities, contributing to feelings of loss and suicidal ideation. Moreover, climate change perception correlates with lower well-being and resilience. The association between awareness of climate change and mental health is a complex and still poorly explored phenomenon. The main limitations are the high heterogeneity in terms of exposure assessment and data reporting, which hinders quantitative analysis. These results show that climate change perception impacts mental health. Better understanding the phenomenon represents an opportunity to inform public health interventions that promote mental well-being.