Gunasiri Hasini, Wang Yifan, Watkins Ella-Mae, Capetola Teresa, Henderson-Wilson Claire, Patrick Rebecca
School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 2;19(9):5528. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095528.
(1) Background: In Australia, young people are one of the most vulnerable populations to the mental health impacts of climate change. The aim of this article was to explore mental health promotion issues related to climate change for young people in Australia. (2) Methods: An exploratory mixed-method approach, co-led by young people, was used to engage young people living in Australia aged 18-24 years in semi-structured interviews (N = 14) and an online survey (N = 46). Data were analysed thematically and with descriptive statistics. (3) Results: Findings indicated that negative impacts included worry, eco-anxiety, stress, hopelessness/powerlessness and feelings of not having a voice. Several mediating factors, in particular social media engagement, highlighted the duality of mental health impacts for young people's mental health. Positive impacts of climate action included feeling optimistic and in control. (4) Conclusions: This exploratory study contributes to an emerging field of public health research on young people's mental health in a climate-impacted Australia. Climate change is a significant concern for young people, and it can negatively affect their mental health. The findings can inform the design of public health interventions that raise awareness of climate change-related mental health issues among young people and promote their participation in nature-based interventions, climate action and empowering social media engagement.
(1) 背景：在澳大利亚，年轻人是受气候变化心理健康影响最为脆弱的人群之一。本文旨在探讨与澳大利亚年轻人气候变化相关的心理健康促进问题。(2) 方法：采用一种由年轻人共同主导的探索性混合方法，对18至24岁居住在澳大利亚的年轻人进行半结构化访谈（N = 14）和在线调查（N = 46）。对数据进行了主题分析和描述性统计。(3) 结果：研究结果表明，负面影响包括担忧、生态焦虑、压力、绝望/无助以及感觉没有话语权。几个中介因素，特别是社交媒体参与度，凸显了对年轻人心理健康影响的双重性。气候行动的积极影响包括感到乐观和有掌控感。(4) 结论：这项探索性研究为澳大利亚受气候影响下年轻人心理健康的新兴公共卫生研究领域做出了贡献。气候变化是年轻人的重大关切，它会对他们的心理健康产生负面影响。这些研究结果可为公共卫生干预措施的设计提供参考，提高年轻人对气候变化相关心理健康问题的认识，并促进他们参与基于自然的干预措施、气候行动以及有赋权作用的社交媒体参与。
