The psychosocial impact of climate change: an umbrella review and meta-analysis

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a psychosocial and mental health challenge, yet the evidence remains fragmented across exposure types, populations, and outcome definitions. This umbrella review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence on the psychosocial impact of climate change and examined the usefulness of the Psychosocial Impact Model (PSIM) as an interpretive framework. Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science following PRISMA guidelines. Nine systematic reviews comprising 345 primary studies were included, and methodological quality was assessed with AMSTAR 2. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted when sufficient quantitative data were available from high-quality reviews. Findings showed that climate change was associated with psychosocial variables across three exposure contexts: (1) acute, (2) chronic, and (3) symbolic. Outcomes included: psychological distress, depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress, solastalgia, ecological grief, and climate anxiety, alongside adaptive responses such as resilience, posttraumatic growth, and community cohesion. Meta-analyses showed positive associations between climate-related anxiety or worry and mental health symptoms, with pooled correlations ranging from small to moderate magnitude (r = 0.17 to 0.37). The strongest associations were observed for climate anxiety with depressive symptoms (r = 0.37, 95% PI [0.14, 0.61], p < 0.001, I ² = 92%) and stress (r = 0.35, 95% PI [-0.01, 0.71], p < 0.001, I ² = 94%). Wide prediction intervals indicated substantial between-study variability; pooled estimates should be interpreted cautiously as summaries of heterogeneous associations. Overall, direct exposure to climate-related events and perceived climate risk were associated with psychosocial distress, supporting the value of PSIM as an integrative framework.

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