Skip to main content

MINI REVIEW article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1434123
This article is part of the Research Topic The Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Public Health View all 6 articles

Environmental change and floods: The long-ignored effects of displacement on mental health

Provisionally accepted
Sara Akram Sara Akram 1*Shama Mushtaq Shama Mushtaq 2*
  • 1 Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Although climate change has received significant global attention, there has been a distinct disregard for the issue of psychological well-being. The elevated floods resulting from climate change have substantial impacts on both physical infrastructure and human well-being. This includes the coerced relocation of individuals from their homes, unemployment, setbacks, and the disruption of communities. The occurrence of significant displacement due to major natural disasters, such as the floods in Pakistan in 2022, is linked to varying degrees of anxiety ranging from moderate to severe.The aim of this research is to perform a comprehensive analysis of the topic by utilizing the available literature. The study aims to ascertain the correlation between floods, caused by environmental shifts, and their influence on mental well-being in Pakistan, specifically focusing on the experiences of susceptible communities. Vulnerable populations, including socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and children, are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of severe weather conditions. During natural catastrophes, individuals experience elevated levels of psychological, emotional, and physical stress, which subsequently amplifies their vulnerability to these detrimental consequences.

    Keywords: Climate Change, Floods, displacements, Mental Health, risk

    Received: 17 May 2024; Accepted: 15 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Akram and Mushtaq. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Sara Akram, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
    Shama Mushtaq, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.