Climate-Related and Nature-Based Interventions for Mental Health: An Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Environmental psychology
• Public health
• Mental health interventions

Background:

• Climate change significantly increases mental health issues globally.
• A comprehensive review of climate-related and nature-based mental health interventions is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of climate-related and nature-based interventions on mental health outcomes.
• To synthesize global evidence on these interventions.

Main Methods:

• Searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases.
• Included systematic reviews with meta-analyses (SRMAs) of controlled interventions.
• Synthesized data using standardized mean differences (SMDs) and meta-regression.

Main Results:

• Included 28 SRMAs covering 344 studies and 91 associations.
• Nature-based interventions showed moderate evidence for reducing tension, fatigue, confusion, and negative affect.
• Nature-based interventions also increased positive affect, vigor, and well-being.
• Psychosocial interventions for climate impacts had very low credibility.
• Factors like older age and lower climate vulnerability were linked to better outcomes in nature-based interventions.

Conclusions:

• Limited evidence exists for interventions directly addressing climate change mental health impacts.
• Nature-based interventions show potential, drawing from broader contexts.
• Future strategies may need to adapt non-climate-specific evidence for climate change adaptation.