%0 Journal Article
%T Mental Health Professionals in the Era of Climate Change: Readiness, Lived Impacts, Motivation to Respond, and Obstacles to Meaningful Engagement
%A Sophie Anne Dubois
%A Claire Emilie Laurent
%A Matthias Paul Kruger
%A Johannes Stefan Hoffmann
%J Journal of Medical Sciences and Interdisciplinary Research
%@ 3108-4826
%D 2023
%V 3
%N 1
%R 10.51847/GEXy6pY5o3
%P 91-103
%X The body of research documenting the mental health consequences of climate change has expanded substantially in recent years, alongside increasing expectations for health professionals to play an active role in safeguarding population health. Despite this, psychologists’ awareness of climate-related health effects and their perceived responsibilities in climate change mitigation remain poorly understood. This study surveyed a sample of Australian psychologists (N = 59) to evaluate their readiness to recognise and manage climate-related mental health concerns, their exposure to climate–health impacts, their inclination to engage in climate action, and the obstacles limiting such engagement. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and associative analytical approaches. Findings indicate that participants generally lacked sufficient preparedness to identify or treat mental health conditions associated with climate change and demonstrated minimal involvement in mitigation activities. Insufficient knowledge regarding climate–health relationships and mitigation strategies, together with ethical uncertainties, emerged as the primary constraints on communication and advocacy efforts. Given the projected escalation of climate-related mental health burdens, these findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen the capacity of the psychological workforce through targeted professional education and by reframing climate change explicitly as a public health emergency.
%U https://smerpub.com/article/mental-health-professionals-in-the-era-of-climate-change-readiness-lived-impacts-motivation-to-re-j7g7xzppumgzthe