Göthert, Marina Luise (2024) A Worldwide Ecological Analysis of Climate Change, Mental Health Disorders and Substance Abuse. Bachelor thesis, Global Responsibility & Leadership (GRL).
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Abstract
Background: Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and severity of natural hazards, which can trigger mental health disorders and can also lead to an increase in substance abuse. The aim of this ecological study is to investigate the association between the exposure to climate change, measured as natural hazards, and mental health prevalence and substance use, at country-level, worldwide. Methods: All data were extracted from publicly available sources. Crude and adjusted linear regression models were created to explore the association of the proportion of people affected by natural hazards and four different mental health and substance abuse outcomes. Multivariable models included socioeconomic variables. Results: In the crude regression mode, the total number of people affected by natural hazards period is positively associated with the relative change in anxiety disorders over a five year period. However, when adjusting for confounders the association is lost. Conversely, after adjusting for confounders, the average number of people affected by natural hazards is negatively associated with the relative change in depressive disorder prevalence. No association was found for the number of people affected by natural hazards and the relative change in substance use death rate, as well as the relative change in alcohol consumption. Conclusion: The average number of people affected by natural hazards was not associated with increased substance use globally and was inconclusive regarding the association with mental health disorders, implying that on a country level, the average impact of natural hazards may not be great enough to detect a change a country’s prevalence rates of mental health disorders and substance abuse.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Name supervisor: | Gallo, V. |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Jun 2024 08:38 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Jun 2024 08:38 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/428 |
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