2024-02-17 05:26:43
The most urgent research priority is to understand the mechanisms through which aspects of climate change, such as temperature variability, changes in ecosystems and changes in precipitation, affect mental health.
The gradual increase in temperatures over time could affect the mental health of the population, according to a study carried out by a group of researchers from Harvard, in collaboration with the Universities of Chicago and Oxford.
“While previous research has focused on the short-term impact of climate change disasters, this study, published in Nature Mental Health, offers a broader scope.“, according to Christy A. Denckla, assistant professor at the TH Chan School of Public Health and co-author of the work with Kate Burrows, assistant professor at the University of Chicago.
For these researchers, the most urgent research priority is to understand the mechanisms through which aspects of climate change, such as temperature variability, changes in ecosystems and changes in precipitation, affect Mental health. “This is the first step in understanding when and where we should intervene with prevention, healthcare and policy responses.“, he pointed out to Prof. Denckla.
Variety of mental health outcomes
The study found strong evidence that slowly increasing ambient temperature over time was associated with a variety of mental health outcomes, including suicide and depression.
To address the effects of climate change on mental health, prof. Denckla emphasized mitigating public health disparities “will be one of the most important interventions and factors to consider when addressing the association between mental health and climate change.”
From his point of view, “We urgently need to document the effects of climate change on certain populations, including adolescents and children, indigenous communities, displaced migrants, economically marginalized groups, and nations and regions that are on the front lines of the crisis.” climate crisis, such as Africa and the countries most vulnerable to the climate. extremes”explained said researcher.
To help understand the diversity of ways chronic climate change can affect people’s mental health, these researchers propose designing studies that use interviews or narrative data to capture lived experiences. “Also promising are studies that model large, complex data sets that integrate mental health, geography, and characteristics of the natural environment, such as ambient air temperature.”, concluded the prof. Denckla. Rv. Ana Mera, pharmacist. Barcelona
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