Brown Haley E, Balakrishnan Anna K, Stamps Kianna M, Obara Lena M, Witte Susan S, Winter Samantha C
University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8622 Kennel Way, CA, 92037, La Jolla, USA.
School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Sep 2;13(1):1000. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03319-2.
Climate change is a major global health threat with significant impacts on mental health, especially among vulnerable populations. Residents of informal settlements-characterized by inadequate infrastructure and housing-are particularly at risk due to their exposure to extreme weather and limited access to healthcare. This study investigates the association between experiences of extreme weather and mental health among women residing in two large informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Using cross-sectional survey data from 800 women, we found significant associations between anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9) and women's experiences of colder-than-usual temperatures (Anxiety β = 0.75, p = 0.03; Depression β = 0.82, p = 0.03) and droughts (Anxiety β = 3.22, p = 0.001; Depression β = 2.90, p = 0.01). This study demonstrates how self-reported experiences of extreme weather are associated with mental health challenges among marginalized populations, and highlights the value of experiential data in identifying climate-related vulnerabilities.
气候变化是对全球健康的重大威胁，对心理健康有显著影响，尤其是在弱势群体中。以基础设施和住房不足为特征的非正式住区居民，由于暴露于极端天气且获得医疗保健的机会有限，面临的风险尤其高。本研究调查了肯尼亚内罗毕两个大型非正式住区的女性极端天气经历与心理健康之间的关联。利用来自800名女性的横断面调查数据，我们发现焦虑（广泛性焦虑障碍量表-7）和抑郁（患者健康问卷-9）与女性经历比平常更寒冷的气温（焦虑β = 0.75，p = 0.03；抑郁β = 0.82，p = 0.03）以及干旱（焦虑β = 3.22，p = 0.001；抑郁β = 2.90，p = 0.01）之间存在显著关联。本研究表明了极端天气的自我报告经历如何与边缘化人群的心理健康挑战相关联，并强调了经验数据在识别与气候相关的脆弱性方面的价值。
