Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ASCO Annual Meeting 2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Keep up to date with all the top stories and latest evidence with our hub page, including official congress videos and expert takeaways.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2024

Open Access 01-12-2024 | Climate Change | Research

The perceived impact of climate change on mental health and suicidality in Kenyan high school students

Authors: David M. Ndetei, Danuta Wasserman, Victoria Mutiso, Jenelle R. Shanley, Christine Musyimi, Pascalyne Nyamai, Timothy Munyua, Monica H. Swahn, John R. Weisz, Tom L. Osborn, Kamaldeep Bhui, Natalie E. Johnson, Panu Pihkala, Peter Memiah, Sonja Gilbert, Afzal Javed, Andre Sourander

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2024

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Climate change has psychological impacts but most of the attention has been focused on the physical impact. This study was aimed at determining the association of climate change with adolescent mental health and suicidality as reported by Kenyan high school students.

Methods

This was a cross sectional study with a sample size of 2,652. The participants were high school students selected from 10 schools in 3 regions of Kenya. A questionnaire was used to assess climate change experiences, mental health problems, and suicidality of the youth. Data were analyzed descriptively and with logistic regression to determine various associations of the different variables and the predictors of the various scores of SDQ and suicidality at 95% CI.

Results

Significant differences were observed between gender and two of the threats of climate change – worry and being afraid as subjectively experienced by the participants. Females were more worried and afraid of climate change than males. On univariate and multivariate logistic regression, we found that various experiences of climate change were significantly associated with various scores of SDQ and much fewer of the experiences predicted SDQ scores. The same pattern was reflected in suicidality.

Conclusion

Climate change appears to be associated with mental health concerns and suicidality according to Kenyan high school students’ reports with gender differences in some associations.
Literature
1.
Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L. Climate change and mental health: Risks, impacts and priority actions. Int J Ment Health Syst. 2018;12(1):1–12.CrossRef
2.
Barnwell G. The psychological and mental health consequences of climate change in South Africa. Unpubl Expert Rep. 2021.
3.
Ramadan AMH, Ataallah AG. Are climate change and mental health correlated? Gen Psychiatry. 2021;34(6):e100648.
4.
5.
Charlson F, Ali S, Benmarhnia T, Pearl M, Massazza A, Augustinavicius J, et al. Climate change and mental health: a scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(9):4486.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Liu J, Varghese BM, Hansen A, Xiang J, Zhang Y, Dear K, et al. Is there an association between hot weather and poor mental health outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int. 2021;153:106533.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Bourque F, Cunsolo WA. Climate change: the next challenge for public mental health? Int Rev Psychiatry. 2014;26(4):415–22.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Berry HL, Bowen K, Kjellstrom T. Climate change and mental health: a causal pathways framework. Int J Public Health. 2010;55(2):123–32.CrossRefPubMed
9.
10.
11.
Hickman C, Marks E, Pihkala P, Clayton S, Lewandowski RE, Mayall EE, et al. Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. Lancet Planet Heal. 2021;5(12):e863–73.CrossRef
12.
Godden NJ, Farrant BM, Yallup Farrant J, Heyink E, Carot Collins E, Burgemeister B, et al. Climate change, activism, and supporting the mental health of children and young people: Perspectives from Western Australia. J Paediatr Child Health. 2021;57(11):1759–64.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
13.
Lawrance EL, Jennings N, Kioupi V, Thompson R, Diffey J, Vercammen A. Psychological responses, mental health, and sense of agency for the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in the UK: an online survey study. Lancet Planet Heal. 2022;6(9):e726–38.CrossRef
14.
Dodgen D, Donato D, Kelly N, La Greca A, Morganstein J, Reser J, et al. Ch. 8: Mental health and well-being. US Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC; 2016.
15.
Trombley J, Chalupka S, Anderko L. Climate change and mental health. AJN Am J Nurs. 2017;117(4):44–52.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Atwoli L, Muhia J, Merali Z. Mental health and climate change in Africa. BJPsych Int. 2022;19(4):86–9.CrossRef
17.
Vergunst F, Berry HL. Climate change and children’s mental health: a developmental perspective. Clin Psychol Sci. 2022;10(4):767–85.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Leonhardt M, Granrud MD, Bonsaksen T, Lien L. Associations between Mental Health, Lifestyle Factors and Worries about Climate Change in Norwegian Adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12826.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
19.
McCarthy JJ, Canziani OF, Leary NA, Dokken DJ, White KS. Climate change 2001: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability: contribution of Working Group II to the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Vol. 2. England: Cambridge University Press; 2001.
20.
Barnwell G, Stroud L, Watson M. Critical reflections from South Africa: Using the Power Threat Meaning Framework to place climate-related distress in its socio-political context. In: Clin Psychol Forum. 2020. p. 7–15.
21.
Opoku SK, Filho WL, Hubert F, Adejumo O. Climate change and health preparedness in Africa: analysing trends in six African countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(9):4672.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Change IC. Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Pörtner, H. O, Roberts, DC, Tignor, M, Poloczanska, ES, Mintenbeck, K, Alegría, A, Craig, M, Langsdorf, S, Löschke, S, Möller, V, al, Eds. 2022.
23.
Serdeczny O, Adams S, Baarsch F, Coumou D, Robinson A, Hare W, et al. Climate change impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa: from physical changes to their social repercussions. Reg Environ Chang. 2017;17(6):1585–600.CrossRef
24.
ASAL Humanitarian Network. Drought situation in the Kenya ASAL areas now at crisis level. 2022. Available from: file:///C:/Users/Administrator/Downloads/ASAL Humanitarian Netwwork Press Release - October 5 2022.pdf.
25.
Berry HL, Waite TD, Dear KBG, Capon AG, Murray V. The case for systems thinking about climate change and mental health. Nat Clim Chang. 2018;8(4):282–90.ADSCrossRef
26.
Ndetei DM, Mutiso VN, Weisz JR, Okoth CA, Musyimi C, Muia EN, et al. Socio-demographic, economic and mental health problems were risk factors for suicidal ideation among Kenyan students aged 15 plus. J Affect Disord. 2022;302:74–82.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
27.
Sosu EM, Schmidt P. Tracking emotional and behavioral changes in childhood: Does the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire measure the same constructs across time? J Psychoeduc Assess. 2017;35(7):643–56.CrossRef
28.
Hall CL, Guo B, Valentine AZ, Groom MJ, Daley D, Sayal K, et al. The validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for children with ADHD symptoms. PLoS ONE. 2019;14(6):e0218518.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
29.
Vugteveen J, de Bildt A, Theunissen M, Reijneveld SA, Timmerman M. Validity aspects of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) adolescent self-report and parent-report versions among Dutch adolescents. Assessment. 2021;28(2):601–16.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Goodman R. Psychometric Properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001;40(11):1337–45.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Ndetei DM, Khasakhala LI, Mutiso V, Ongecha-Owuor FA, Kokonya DA. Patterns of drug abuse in public secondary schools in Kenya. Subst Abus. 2009;30(1):69–78.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Ndetei DM, Khasakhala LI, Mutiso V, Ongecha-Owuor FA, Kokonya DA. Drug use in a rural secondary school in Kenya. Subst Abus. 2010;31(3):170–3.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Booth R. Emerging Issues in East Africa for Girls’ Education in East Africa. 2022.
34.
Kuehner C. Why is depression more common among women than among men? The Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(2):146–58.CrossRefPubMed
35.
du Bray M, Wutich A, Larson KL, White DD, Brewis A. Anger and sadness: Gendered emotional responses to climate threats in four island nations. Cross-Cultural Res. 2019;53(1):58–86.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
The perceived impact of climate change on mental health and suicidality in Kenyan high school students
Authors
David M. Ndetei
Danuta Wasserman
Victoria Mutiso
Jenelle R. Shanley
Christine Musyimi
Pascalyne Nyamai
Timothy Munyua
Monica H. Swahn
John R. Weisz
Tom L. Osborn
Kamaldeep Bhui
Natalie E. Johnson
Panu Pihkala
Peter Memiah
Sonja Gilbert
Afzal Javed
Andre Sourander
Publication date
01-12-2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Climate Change
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05568-8

Other articles of this Issue 1/2024

BMC Psychiatry 1/2024 Go to the issue

Research

The association between smoking and family health with the mediation role of personality among Chinese people: nationwide cross-sectional study

Research

Associations between breakfast skipping and outcomes in neuropsychiatric disorders, cognitive performance, and frailty: a Mendelian randomization study

Study Protocol

The short- and longer-term effects of brief behavioral parent training versus care as usual in children with behavioral difficulties: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Research

The relationship between postpartum negative life events and postpartum depression: a moderated mediation model of neuroticism and psychological flexibility

Research

Too little or too much: nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and daily affective well-being in depressed adults

Study Protocol

‘Let’s Talk About Children’ family focused practice for children of parents with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: protocol for a randomized controlled trial