Climate-driven perinatal mental health impacts: A pilot study

Climate change (CC) poses risks to mental health, with pregnant women highly vulnerable due to unique physiological, emotional, and social changes. This study explored the relationship between cognitive appraisal of CC, emotional responses (e.g. eco-anxiety and solastalgia), and pro-environmental actions and mental well-being in 27 pregnant women in Canada. We used validated online surveys including measures of depressive symptoms and generalized and pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA). Results indicate that cognitive appraisal of CC showed a significant direct effect on anxiety severity when adjusted for all covariates. Eco-anxiety was significantly associated with all mental health measures, while solastalgia was significantly associated with P-RA. Pro-environmental actions showed no significant association. Contextual factors did not modify these relationships. These findings highlight that emotional responses to CC, rather than cognitive appraisal or actions, are important predictors of mental health during pregnancy, warranting further research in larger, diverse populations, particularly in regions severely affected by CC.