As record-breaking heat grips communities worldwide and Australia prepares for an intense El Niño summer, new research provides the first global review linking high temperatures and heatwaves to poorer mental health in children and young people.
As record-breaking heat grips communities worldwide and Australia prepares for an intense El Niño summer, new research provides the first global review linking high temperatures and heatwaves to poorer mental health in children and young people.
Published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the findings show that adverse mental health outcomes increase by almost 1% for children with every 1 °C rise in daily temperature.
Drawing on data from 23 global studies examining the relationship between temperature, heatwaves, and mental health, the review found children aged 5 to 18 years are the most vulnerable. Their risk of poor mental health outcomes increases by 25% during heatwaves and by 1.5% in higher temperatures.
Read More: Flanders University
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