Climate change, nature connection, and mental health: a comprehensive systematic review of eco-psychopathologies

Explore all metrics Abstract Climate change adversely affects both the environment and mental health, resulting in eco-psychopathologies such as eco-anxiety, eco-guilt, eco-depression, and solastalgia. However, these constructs lack clear definitions and operational frameworks, and epidemiological data remain scarce. Progress in this area of research is hindered by a lack of integration and dialogue among empirical studies. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, examining both published and unpublished empirical studies on eco-psychopathology. We searched multiple scientific databases, including PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, GreenFILE, and the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, yielding 59,119 records. After applying the selection criteria, 25 studies were included. These studies span six research areas: (1) climate change and mental illness, (2) concern about climate change and mental health, (3) the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations, (4) solastalgia, (5) the influence of knowledge and perceptions of climate change on mental health, and (6) nature and mental health. We discuss the main methodological characteristics and findings of these studies, highlighting how the absence of a shared theoretical framework limits the integration of results across different studies and outlining directions for future research.