Australian Youth Mental Health and Climate Change Concern After the Black Summer Bushfires
Amy D. Lykins, Melissa Parsons, Belinda M. Craig, Suzanne Cosh, Donald W. Hine, Clara Murray
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.