Australian Youth Mental Health and Climate Change Concern After the Black Summer Bushfires

Amy D. Lykins*, Melissa Parsons, Belinda M. Craig, Suzanne M. Cosh, Donald W. Hine, Clara Murray

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)
117 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Climate change and its effects present notable challenges for mental health, particularly for vulnerable populations, including young people. Immediately following the unprecedented Black Summer bushfire season of 2019/2020, 746 Australians (aged 16–25 years) completed measures of mental health and perceptions of climate change. Results indicated greater presentations of depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment disorder symptoms, substance abuse, and climate change distress and concern, as well as lower psychological resilience and perceived distance to climate change, in participants with direct exposure to these bushfires. Findings highlight significant vulnerabilities of concern for youth mental health as climate change advances.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3-8
Number of pages6
JournalEcohealth
Volume20
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Apr 2023

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