Article type
Abstract
Introduction:
Climate change poses a critical threat to human health, impacting mental well-being alongside physical consequences. Mental health issues arising from climate change-related disasters include conditions like PTSD, depression, etc especially in vulnerable populations. As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, there is a need to identify effective interventions to mitigate the mental health impacts of climate change.
Methods:
We conducted a comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE, EBSCO CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and EMBASE till Feb 2024. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs), quasi-experimental studies and before-after study designs were included. Studies that assessed interventions for the management of mental health symptoms after climate change or an extreme climatic disaster were considered relevant. We conducted a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4. The Cochrane ROB2 tool was used to assess risk of bias in RCTs and ROBINS tool for all other studies.
Results:
Our search yielded 11083 references which were screened by titles and full texts; forty-one studies were ultimately included. All interventions were implemented in a post-disaster setting; disasters included wildfire, flood, cyclone, hurricane, tsunami, tornado and typhoon. PTSD symptoms (SMD -1.96, 95% CI [-2.74;-1.19], 12 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -0.61, 95% CI[-1.01;-0.21] 7 before- after studies), depression symptoms (SMD -0.87, 95% CI [-1.41;-0.33], 6 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -1.08, 95% CI [-1.49;-0.66], 11 before- after studies), anxiety symptoms (SMD -0.38, 95% CI [-0.69;-0.06] 2 studies) and (SMD -0.35, 95% CI [-0.47;-0.24], 8 before- after studies), stress symptoms (SMD -0.25, 95% CI [-0.44;-0.05], 3 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -0.80, 95% CI [-0.92;-0.67], 3 before- after studies), general functioning impairment (SMD -0.60, 95% CI [-0.89;-0.30], 7 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -1.41, 95% CI [-1.79;-1.03], 2 before- after studies), wellbeing (SMD of 0.36, 95% CI [0.04;0.68], 5 intervention-control studies) and (SMD 0.79, 95% CI [0.47;1.12], 2 before- after studies) showed significant improvement after implementation of mental health interventions.
Conclusion:
Integrating mental health into climate adaptation and disaster preparedness is vital for mitigating the impact of climate-related disasters. As the frequency of climate change related disasters increases, it is important to implement evidence-based interventions especially in disaster prone areas.
Climate change poses a critical threat to human health, impacting mental well-being alongside physical consequences. Mental health issues arising from climate change-related disasters include conditions like PTSD, depression, etc especially in vulnerable populations. As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, there is a need to identify effective interventions to mitigate the mental health impacts of climate change.
Methods:
We conducted a comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE, EBSCO CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and EMBASE till Feb 2024. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs), quasi-experimental studies and before-after study designs were included. Studies that assessed interventions for the management of mental health symptoms after climate change or an extreme climatic disaster were considered relevant. We conducted a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4. The Cochrane ROB2 tool was used to assess risk of bias in RCTs and ROBINS tool for all other studies.
Results:
Our search yielded 11083 references which were screened by titles and full texts; forty-one studies were ultimately included. All interventions were implemented in a post-disaster setting; disasters included wildfire, flood, cyclone, hurricane, tsunami, tornado and typhoon. PTSD symptoms (SMD -1.96, 95% CI [-2.74;-1.19], 12 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -0.61, 95% CI[-1.01;-0.21] 7 before- after studies), depression symptoms (SMD -0.87, 95% CI [-1.41;-0.33], 6 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -1.08, 95% CI [-1.49;-0.66], 11 before- after studies), anxiety symptoms (SMD -0.38, 95% CI [-0.69;-0.06] 2 studies) and (SMD -0.35, 95% CI [-0.47;-0.24], 8 before- after studies), stress symptoms (SMD -0.25, 95% CI [-0.44;-0.05], 3 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -0.80, 95% CI [-0.92;-0.67], 3 before- after studies), general functioning impairment (SMD -0.60, 95% CI [-0.89;-0.30], 7 intervention-control studies) and (SMD -1.41, 95% CI [-1.79;-1.03], 2 before- after studies), wellbeing (SMD of 0.36, 95% CI [0.04;0.68], 5 intervention-control studies) and (SMD 0.79, 95% CI [0.47;1.12], 2 before- after studies) showed significant improvement after implementation of mental health interventions.
Conclusion:
Integrating mental health into climate adaptation and disaster preparedness is vital for mitigating the impact of climate-related disasters. As the frequency of climate change related disasters increases, it is important to implement evidence-based interventions especially in disaster prone areas.