Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5NG, UK.
Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 19;17(22):8581. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17228581.
Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity as a consequence of climate change and pose a significant threat to population mental health. This is the case even in temperate regions such as the United Kingdom (UK) where flooding and heat waves are forecast to become more common. We conducted a systematic review to quantify the prevalence and describe the causes of common mental health problems in populations exposed to extreme weather events in the UK. We searched Web of Science, EMBASE and PsycINFO for studies that measured the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in populations exposed to extreme weather events in the UK, published up to 12 December 2019. We included 17 studies, four of which were included in meta-analyses to determine the point prevalence of common mental health problems in the period within 12 months following extreme weather events. The point prevalence was 19.8% for anxiety (k = 4; = 1458; 95% CI 7.42 to 32.15), 21.35% for depression (k = 4; = 1458; 95% CI 9.04 to 33.65) and 30.36% for PTSD (k = 4; = 1359; 95% CI 11.68 to 49.05). Key factors that affected mental ill health in people exposed to flooding were water depth and absence of flood warnings. Displacement from home underscored the narratives associated with people's perceptions of the impact of flooding. The high prevalence of common mental health problems suggests that the prevention of mental ill health in populations at risk or exposed to extreme weather events should be a UK public health priority.
极端天气事件的频率和强度因气候变化而增加，对人口心理健康构成重大威胁。即使在英国（UK）等温带地区也是如此，预计那里的洪水和热浪将更加普遍。我们进行了一项系统评价，以量化在英国暴露于极端天气事件的人群中常见心理健康问题的患病率，并描述其原因。我们在 Web of Science、EMBASE 和 PsycINFO 中搜索了在英国暴露于极端天气事件的人群中测量抑郁、焦虑和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）患病率的研究，这些研究的发表时间截至 2019 年 12 月 12 日。我们纳入了 17 项研究，其中 4 项研究被纳入荟萃分析，以确定极端天气事件后 12 个月内常见心理健康问题的时点患病率。焦虑的时点患病率为 19.8%（k = 4； = 1458；95%CI 7.42 至 32.15），抑郁的时点患病率为 21.35%（k = 4； = 1458；95%CI 9.04 至 33.65），PTSD 的时点患病率为 30.36%（k = 4； = 1359；95%CI 11.68 至 49.05）。影响暴露于洪水中人群心理健康的关键因素是水深和缺乏洪水预警。从家中流离失所突显了与人们对洪水影响的看法相关的叙述。常见心理健康问题的高患病率表明，预防处于风险中或暴露于极端天气事件的人群的心理健康问题应成为英国公共卫生的优先事项。
