Headlining mental health in a changing climate: a systematic analysis of climate change and mental health news coverage from Canada and the United States

Abstract

Abstract Climate change exerts a profound and far-reaching toll on mental health, resulting in mental illness, diminished wellbeing, and strained social relations, with the severity of these impacts anticipated to intensify under future climate change. News coverage of climate-mental health issues can shape public perceptions and responses, and therefore understanding this coverage is vital for creating and implementing strategies to lessen climate-mental health risks. We systematically examined the extent, nature, and range of news articles from Canada and the United States that covered climate-mental health impacts. Five electronic databases were searched. Articles were included if they were print or online news stories that covered climate-mental health impacts and were published in English or French by sources in Canada or the United States between 2016 and 2020. A total of 1,085 articles (642 unique stories) met the inclusion criteria and underwent data extraction and analysis using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Coverage of climate-mental health outcomes increased in both Canada and the United States from 2016 to 2019. There was, however, a substantial decrease in coverage by Canadian news outlets from 2019 to 2020. Further, although 468 different news outlets published at least one story on the topic, repeat coverage by any one news outlet was infrequent. Most opinion pieces presented climate-mental health impacts as legitimate or expressed support for people experiencing these issues. Roughly half of the included stories identified populations that are vulnerable to climate-mental health impacts, particularly children and young people. Additionally, approximately half of the included stories identified potential interventions or coping strategies to protect mental health, most often involving changes to individual lifestyles or behaviour. More sustained coverage that focuses on protective factors, interventions, and coping strategies is needed, as this could help foster public understanding and drive action to reduce climate-mental health risks.