Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, droughts, rising sea levels. These are not topics for the faint of heart. But the reality today is that these types of natural disasters are on the rise due to climate change, and more people are being impacted as our population booms, especially in coastal areas. We can’t necessarily hide this news from our children. They will learn about climate change in science class, on television, and at museums – as they should. They also absorb the adult conversations going on around them, so when a major event hits like hurricane Harvey in Texas, our kids will hear about it.
As these disasters become more frequent due to the warming climate, mental health becomes one of the critical concerns that we need to pay attention to. Of course, those directly impacted will suffer most dramatically. Following Hurricane Katrina, nearly half of those impacted by the storm developed an anxiety or mood disorder and one in six developed post-traumatic stress disorder.
But when these events occur, we all suffer in a broader sense. What if it happens to us? Susan Clayton, professor of psychology at Wooster University in the UK, assesses that natural disasters significantly impact the mental health of millions of people. She sees three types of disasters that people worry about: the natural disasters themselves like floods and storms, slower changes such as an increasing global temperature, and the destruction of communities that can result. All of these can cause stress, anxiety, and depression as we try to either envision ourselves in a particular situation or adapt to the changes as they occur.
With all of these impending disasters looming as temperatures continue to skyrocket (15 of the 16 hottest years on record have occurred since 2001), it is no surprise that more and more people are developing eco-anxiety. This is a relatively new psychological condition in which a person experiences chronic fear of environmental destruction.
Children are particularly at risk for heightened anxiety and depression from a natural disaster. The American Public Health Association is working hard to study and educate people about the impacts of climate change on mental health. According to this organization, up to 45 percent of children suffer depression after a natural disaster. Some of the behavioral and psychological changes in children include an inability to speak, bed-wetting, stress or fright when not in danger, and self-harm.
For children who are just learning about these events, they worry that something bad could also happen to them. They have active imaginations and want to always feel safe. Climate change can instigate feelings of vulnerability and powerlessness that take the shape of anxiety. Surveys indicate that not only is global warming on our children's minds, it is scaring them. One report found that approximately half of the children surveyed, ages seven to 11, were anxious about climate change and often lost sleep over it. Another study showed that children ages 11 to 14 were more concerned about climate change than they were about their homework. Wow!
