BMC Psychology invited submissions for our Collection on Climate change and mental health.
Climate change is leading to more frequent and extreme weather events. One response to these changes is increased psychological distress in people that could develop into more serious mental problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorders, or depression.
Conversely, engaging in pro-environmental behaviors and taking action to address climate change can have positive psychological benefits, including a sense of purpose, increased resilience, and improved overall wellbeing. By investigating attitudes, beliefs, emotions, knowledge, and motivations, researchers can identify effective strategies to raise awareness, foster environmental awareness, and motivate people to take meaningful action on climate change.
Climate change can also affect our socioeconomic status to the detriment to our mental health, through food and water insecurity, homelessness, and unemployment. A possible consequence of climate change is that socioeconomic disparities will be exacerbated, further enhancing the mental health gap. It is imperative that we recognize and address these complex interactions to build resilient communities in the face of climate change as well as promote mental well-being.
This Collection encompassed all possible topics related to climate change and mental health – it welcomed contributions from theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative perspectives.
Topics of interest included, but were not limited to:
- Impacts of climate change on mental health and wellbeing
- Psychological factors of pro-environmental behaviors
- Environmental and climate change education
- Climate change beliefs, framing, and communication
- Health disparities, environmental justice, and climate change adaptation
All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.
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