Effects of the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul on the mental health and eco-anxiety of young adults from a birth cohort

• Grant number: 24/12948-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Alicia Matijasevich Manitto
• Grantee: Alicia Matijasevich Manitto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Aluisio Jardim Dornellas de Barros ; Iná da Silva dos Santos ; Jessica Mayumi Maruyama ; Luciana Tovo Rodrigues

Abstract

Climate change and natural disasters represent critical challenges for society, affecting the mental health of millions of people. These events can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, in addition to symptoms of eco-anxiety, understood as a growing concern about the environmental future and the ability to cope with climate change. Vulnerable populations, such as individuals with pre-existing mental disorders, children, and residents of low- and middle-income countries, are particularly affected. In May 2024, a climate disaster occurred in the city of Pelotas, in Rio Grande do Sul, where one-third of the population was evacuated due to flooding. Around 15,000 houses were affected, schools closed, and commercial activities suffered losses. This study aims to assess the impact of the floods on the mental health and eco-anxiety of young adults belonging to the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort, identify psychological and familial risk and resilience factors, and examine the consequences of exposure to floods on pro-environmental attitudes and individual behaviors. The last follow-up of the cohort was conducted at 18 years of age, when information about mental health, eco-anxiety, and individual and environmental characteristics was collected. In this project, we intend to reassess the mental health and eco-anxiety of the 3,500 young adults after the floods. Novel and valuable data will be produced to guide preventive strategies and public policies, which will help mitigate the long-term effects of floods and improve the quality of life of young people in climate crisis situations. (AU)