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Introduction: Climate change is a planetary and public health crisis. Between 2000 and 2019, over 1.2 million deaths and 4 billion individuals were affected by climate-related disasters. These events often impact mental health. This integrative review synthesizes evidence on mental health outcomes particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and eco-anxiety among populations affected by climate disasters. Methods: Using Whittemore and Knafl’s five-stage framework, this integrative review is in the preliminary analysis stage. A systematic search will be conducted for peer-reviewed studies published globally from January 1995 to March 2024. Eligible studies include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research on mental health outcomes linked to climate-related disasters. Preliminary Results: Ten studies were included, focusing on wildfires (California), hurricanes (Florida, Puerto Rico), floods (South Korea), and tornadoes (U.S.). PTSD was frequently reported, with prevalence ranging from 10.2% to 83%. For example, six months post-wildfires in California, the mean PTSD score was 26.68 (SD 19.50). After Hurricane Maria, PTSD was 30.3% in high-impact areas versus 12.5% elsewhere. Anxiety affected 49.1% of hurricane survivors and had a mean score of 7.09 (SD 5.65) in wildfire survivors. Eco-anxiety and solastalgia were noted in two studies (Australia, UK), especially among youth. Depression appeared in eight studies. Symptoms often persisted beyond one year, especially among children and low-income populations. Key risk factors included direct exposure, displacement, low socioeconomic status, female gender, and pre-existing mental illness. Conclusion: Climate-related disasters significantly impact mental health. Integrating mental health into climate resilience and public health strategies is urgently needed."

Publisher Location

Las Vegas (Nev.)

Publication Date

Fall 11-21-2025

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Keywords

Environment; Mental health; review; health outcomes; climate

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

File Format

PDF

File Size

718 KB

Comments

Mentor: Kavita Batra

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

The Emotional Climate Crisis: An Integrative Review of Mental Health Outcomes from Climate-Related Disasters


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