Mental Health and Weather Extremes in a Southeastern U.S. City: Exploring Group Differences by Race.

Lisa Reyes Mason,Bonita B Sharma,Christine C Ekenga,Jayme E Walters

doi:10.3390/ijerph17103411

Abstract

The connection between mental health and weather extremes is a public health concern, but less studied to date than physical health. This exploratory study examines the mental health impacts of two kinds of weather extremes increasingly linked to climate change—summer heat waves and extreme winter weather—in a low- to middle-income population in the Southeastern U.S. The distribution of mental health impacts, and potential pathways to them, are examined with a focus on race. Data are from a random-sample survey of 426 participants and are analyzed with bivariate statistics and path analysis. Self-reported mental health impacts, in both seasons, were common in our study, with White participants tending to report worse impacts than participants who identified with other racial groups. Physical health had direct effects on mental health across several models, overall and by racial group. For summer heat waves, concern about climate change and social cohesion had direct and indirect effects, respectively, on mental health in White participants only. For extreme winter weather, preparedness had a direct negative effect on mental health in White, but not Black, participants. Results suggest that there may be racial differences in the influence of human and social capital factors on mental health related to weather extremes, warranting further study of this critical topic and with larger racial subgroup samples.

Highlights

The global climate crisis is a major threat to public health
We focus on the mental health impacts of two kinds of weather extremes increasingly linked to climate change—summer heat waves and extreme winter weather
Concern about climate change was directly positively associated with mental health impacts among White participants during summer heat events, there was no association between concern about climate change and mental health impacts among Black participants, though, again, we caution interpretation in light of our subgroup sample sizes

Summary

Introduction

The global climate crisis is a major threat to public health. The risks of climate change to physical health include increased occurrence of asthma and other respiratory disease, incidence of heat stress, exposure to vector-borne diseases, and injury and fatality during severe weather [1,2]. Mental health risks of climate change include greater stress, anxiety, despair, depression, and suicidal ideation, and they can stem from climate-related natural disasters (e.g., hurricane), slower moving events (e.g., drought), or concern about the phenomenon of climate change itself [2,4]. In this exploratory study, we focus on the mental health impacts of two kinds of weather extremes increasingly linked to climate change—summer heat waves and extreme winter weather. Informed by a social justice focus on vulnerable or marginalized groups, we examine self-reported mental health impacts among a primarily low- to middle-income population in the Southeastern U.S, and how potential pathways to those impacts vary by race

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion