CNN
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Climate change may play a major role in affecting the mental health of young people, according to a new report from the American Psychological Association.
Written in collaboration with climate advocacy organization ecoAmerica, the report documents how environmental events linked to climate change – including weather disasters, extreme heat and poor air quality – can trigger or exacerbate health problems mental health in children and adolescents.
Natural disasters can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder in these groups, the report said. Longer-term issues like heat, drought, and poor air quality can increase your risk of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, aggression, cognitive impairment, and more.
“The report documents the psychological harm currently being experienced by our nation’s children and youth,” wrote Dr. Dennis P. Stolle, senior director of applied psychology for the association that reviewed the report, in an email to CNN. “These are not problems that we can wait and solve later. As a society, we must act now.
The report, released Wednesday, follows a 2021 study conducted by the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica. This is the latest in a series of studies conducted by the two organizations since 2014. The studies do not involve new experiments; rather, they summarize existing research on climate change, mental health, and youth development.
According to Dr. Sue Clayton, professor of psychology at the College of Wooster and lead author of the report, weather events linked to climate change make children more vulnerable to mental health consequences because they may not have the strategies to cope. adaptation that adults have.
If a parent is stressed by difficulties associated with an environmental event, such as extreme heat or wildfires, this can also influence their children’s mental health.
“If your parent is stressed because of worries or fears, it can affect the child and their mental health,” Clayton said. “Experiencing trauma at an early age can have lifelong consequences on emotional health and well-being. »
These mental health consequences begin before a child is even born, the report says. Prenatal exposure to weather disasters, high temperatures, air pollution, and maternal anxiety may increase a child’s risk of a variety of behavioral and developmental problems, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, developmental delays, low self-control and psychiatric disorders.
The consequences can affect the development of the nervous system and are often irreversible, Clayton said.
For infants and young children, climate change-related weather events – and exposure to news stories about them – could lead to anxiety, sleep problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, impaired cognitive development disturbed and major depressive disorder.
Adolescents are susceptible to the mental health effects – such as trauma and anxiety – of natural disasters linked to climate change, but they may also be indirectly affected, the report said. Weather events, heat and pollution can disrupt a child’s life: classes may be canceled, their home may be damaged or they may suffer from food insecurity.
According to the report, adolescents and young adults are particularly worried about climate change. Compared to their older counterparts, young people are more likely to be alarmed or concerned about the perceived failure of governments or authorities to act on climate change.
According to the report, climate change events and distress over the issue are linked to risks of anxiety, depression, strained social relationships and suicide.
“They worry about it because they know it’s going to affect their future,” Clayton said. “How do you plan for the future when you don’t know what it will look like?”
She also worries about how climate change could influence young adults who make decisions about their careers and relationships. The report identifies that the consequences of extreme weather and climate anxiety affect decision-making, impair cognition and decrease levels of self-control.
“They are making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives, in terms of career goals and plans,” Clayton added. “Will they save money? What about their decision to have children?
Researchers note that not all young people experience the impacts of climate change on their mental health in the same way. People from marginalized or low-income backgrounds – including Indigenous communities, communities of color, women and people with disabilities – are more likely to be exposed to extreme weather.
Compared to people in wealthier areas, they may also have fewer means to cope with extreme weather conditions. For example, Clayton said, higher-income communities tend to have more tree cover due to heat.
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However, the report also focuses on ways to limit the impact of climate change on the mental health of young people. Among its recommendations are that school systems play a greater role, including designing more protective facilities and providing education programs on climate change.
Health professionals could also screen young people for climate-related distress early and regularly. Stolle says more clinical psychologists are treating people with anxiety about climate change.
“Clinical psychologists find themselves on the front lines of treating patients who suffer from these problems,” he wrote in his email.
But for Clayton, it’s not just a problem that concerns medical professionals.
“This concerns us all,” she added. “Children are indeed the future of society. We wanted to make information about the problem and potential ways to solve it available to groups who want access to it.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the American Psychological Association.
