New research suggests that exposure to cold weather in the Netherlands and to heat in Spain may be linked to heightened psychiatric symptoms among adolescents. The study, published online in JAMA Network Open, highlights potential mental health risks associated with climate change, emphasizing the need for targeted adaptation strategies and climate action policies.

Researchers led by Esmée Essers of ISGlobal in Barcelona analyzed data from two large European birth cohort studies. The Dutch Generation R Study and the Spanish Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project provided a combined sample of nearly 5,000 participants, with adolescents having a mean age of 13.6 years in the Netherlands and 14.9 years in Spain.

The study examined the associations between ambient temperature exposure and a range of psychiatric symptoms, including internalizing problems (such as anxiety and depression), externalizing problems (like aggression), and attention issues. In the Generation R cohort, researchers observed that cumulative exposure to cold was associated with increased internalizing problems. Specifically, a two-month exposure at an average temperature of 5.5°C was linked to a 0.76 increase in square-root transformed scores for internalizing symptoms.

In contrast, the INMA Project data from Spain revealed that cumulative exposure to heat was significantly associated with attention problems. A similar two-month exposure at an average temperature of 21.7°C resulted in a 1.52 increase in square-root transformed scores for attention-related symptoms. Notably, the study found that these associations were specific to the type of temperature exposure, with cold predominantly affecting internalizing behaviors and heat impacting attention.

“This study helps quantify the intricate and multifactorial nature of the association of climate change with mental health and can be leveraged to provide evidence for adaptation strategies and climate action policies,” the authors wrote.

The findings underscore the complex interplay between environmental factors and mental health, suggesting that climate extremes may contribute to the development or exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms during adolescence. As climate change continues to alter temperature patterns across Europe, these results could have significant implications for public health initiatives aimed at protecting vulnerable populations.

With climate change emerging as a critical global issue, further research into its mental health impacts is expected to inform the development of interventions that address both the physical and psychological well-being of affected communities.