Table 1.
Data extracted from the included studies.
| Author, Year [Ref] | Country | Study Period | Study Design | Sample Size | Attrition | Population Characteristics | Climate Change Assessment | Validation | MH Outcome | Diagnostic Assessment | Effect Size (95% CI) p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barchielli, 2022 [31] | IT | n.a. | C-S | 1831 | n.a. | Access to electronic devices and internet connection; age 47.71; F 61% | 4-item 5-point Likert scale of an ad hoc questionnaire | Yes | Dep, Anx, and stress | DASS-21 | Climate change preoccupation was correlated with Dep and Anx in all age groups and with Anx among young adults and adults (Pearson ranged between 0.100 and 0.391, p < 0.01.) |
| Gunasiri, 2022 [32] | AU | 13 July–3 August 2020 | C-S | 46 | 0 | Young people living in Australia; age 18–24; sex n.s. | Survey developed ad hoc | Yes | Worry about the future, eco-anxiety, stress, and Anx | Survey developed ad hoc | Worry about the future 93%; eco anxiety 89%; stress and anxiety 83% |
| Kabir, 2018 [35] | BD | January 2015–October 2016 | C-S | 125 | n.a. | High-variety background; age 10–70; F 75, M 50 | Semi-structured interview | No | Feelings of loss and feelings of suicide ideation | Semi-structured interview | 75% of participants stated that climate change impacted daily activities and led to feelings of loss, thereby increasing feelings of suicide ideation. |
| Leonhardt, 2022 [30] | NO | 2021 | C-S | 128,484 | 11,357 | Pupils; age 13–19; F: 60,959 | Single 5-point Likert scale questionnaire | No | DepSym and well-being | DMI derived from the HSCCW | DepSym: OR 1.71 (1.10–1.42) well-being: OR 0.91 (0.88–0.95) |
| Lykins, 2023 [33] | AU | March 2020 | C-S | 746 | n.a. | Adolescents, young adults; age 16–25; F: 584, M: 152, 10 others | ETSEAI | Yes | Dep, Anx, stress, adjustment disorder, substance use, resilience | DASS-21; ADNM8, UNCOPE, BRS | Dep (r = 0.15, p < 0.001); Anx (r = 0.11, p < 0.01); stress (r = 0.19, p < 0.001); adjustment disorder (r = 0.21, p < 0.001); substance use (r = 0.10, p > 0.05); resilience (r = −0.14, p < 0.001) |
| Middleton, 2020 [34] | CA | November 2012–May 2013 | C-S | 116 | n.a. | 96 community members + 20 health professionals; 68 F, 48 M | Semi-structured interview | No | Mental well-being | Semi-structured interview | Climate change impacts environmental conditions, which in turn determines daily activities, indirectly affecting mental well-being. |
| Schwartz, 2022 [28] | USA | October and December 2020 | C-S | 323 | 12% (284/323 provided completed data on all variables) | Students; age 18–35; F 78.9%; transgender, non-binary, or other 2.1% | 3-item 5-point Likert scale for climate change experience and 13-item Climate Change Anxiety Scale | Yes | Cognitive and functional impairment in CCA, MDD, GAD | PHQ-8 for MDD, GAD-7 | MDD β = 0.11 (0.36), p > 0.05; cognitive impairment β = 1.53 (0.76), p < 0.05; GAD β = 0.37 (0.34), p > 0.05; functional impairment β = 1.85 (0.72), p < 0.05 |
| Temte, 2019 [29] | USA | 2013 | C-S | 571 | n.a. | Adult primary care patients; age 18–96; M 183, F 357 | Climate change composite score | No | Dep, Anx, and dysphoria | PHQ-9, GAD-7, and a combination of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 | Dep (Chi-square = 0.178, n.s.) and Anx (Chi-square = 0.441, n.s.), dysphoria: r = 0.345, p < 0.001) |
| Verplanken, 2013 [26] | USA and EU | June 2012–July 2012 | C-S | 132 | n.a. | Students and non-students; age 26; 39 M, 78 F, 15 not declared | 5-item 5-point Likert scale | Yes | Ecological worries, including global warming, pollution, extinction of species, resource depletion, and deforestation | PSWQ for item “pathological worry,” B5I for item “big five personality traits,” EAI for item “enviromental attitudes” | Habitual ecological worry and environmental attitudes (r = 0.47; p < 0.001), pro-environmental behavior (r = 0.37; p < 0.001) |
| Weierstall-Pust, 2022 [27] | DE | April–May 2022 | C-S | 3094 | n.a. | Adults (≥ 18 years) with fluent German and access to internet; F = 1560 M = 1534 |
5 items 5-point Likert scale climate change stressors | Yes | Stress symptoms | SSQ-25 | β = 0.06 (0.03) p < 0.001 |
ADNM8: Adjustment Disorder New Module 8; Anx: anxiety; AU: Australia; BD: Bangladesh; B5I: Big Five inventory; BRS: Brief Resilience Scale; CA: Canada; CCA: cognitive emotional impairment in climate change anxiety; C-S: cross-sectional; DASS-21: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales; DE: Germany; Dep: depression; DepSym: depressive symptoms; DMI: Depressive Mood Inventory; EAI: Environmental Attitude Inventory; ETSEAI: Environmental Threat Subscale of the Environmental Attitude Inventory; EU: Europe; F: female; GAD-7: generalized anxiety disorder; HSCCW: Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Cantril ladder for well-being; IT: Italy; M: male; MDD: major depressive disorder; NO: Norway; n.s.: not specified; PHQ: Patient Health Questionnaire; PSWQ: Penn State Worry Questionnaire; SSQ-25: subclinical stress questionnaire; UNCOPE: alcohol and substance abuse screener.