Illuminating Voices of Stakeholders on How Climate Changes Impact Children and Youth Wellbeing and Mental Health in Canada

Background and Purpose: Climate change has gravely impacted the emotional wellbeing of children and young people across Canada. Despite the focus being on green technology, children's mental health is at risk and climate change is a contributing factor. Statistics have shown that 66 % of Canadian young people aged 16-25 expressed feeling afraid, 65% sad, 63% anxious, 58% helpless, and 56% powerless regarding climate change (Galway & Field, 2023). In our presentation we will share how stakeholders are voicing concerns about the impact climate change has on the mental health and wellbeing of children and youth in Canada. Stakeholders have recognized climate change as one of the top ten threats that young people under the age of 18 are facing in Canada. This area is complex, and this presentation, through a partnership between Children First Canada, Mitacs, and the University of Calgary, strives to share how Canada can better support children and youth’s best interest and alleviate some of the climate-related mental health concerns moving forward.

Methods: In order to develop a stronger understanding of the impact of climate change on children and youth, a qualitative semi-structured zoom interview was held with 26 stakeholders from an array of different expertise who work with children and youth across Canada. A qualitative descriptive study was utilized to explore the themes that were generated during the interviews. Themes were grouped together by two researchers who used an interpretive lens. This presentation reviews findings from research conducted between October 2022 to December 2022.

Results: Stakeholders from an array of different professions revealed that climate change (such as extreme weather changes, global warming, and environmental impacts) was one of the top 10 threats to Canadian children and youth’s wellbeing. The changing climate and concerns about the future of the environment was expressed as creating anxiety and unease for children from the perspectives of stakeholders, ultimately impacting many young people’s mental health. From these voices, a number of themes were shared in relation to the impact of climate change on children and youth mental health including their sense of uncertainty, concerns for the future, and limited action taken to address the concerns.

Conclusion: The findings have implications for prevention and intervention strategies as well as providing support and facilitating changes at both micro and macro levels of practice. Stakeholders recommended educating youth on how to advocate and support themselves in creating change for the betterment of the future climate and the environment and looking at financial support for investing in climate change. Furthermore, not only do stakeholders recommend listening to young people’s voices, but they also recognize that children and youth need to take part in the process of change.