Overlapping Pandemic- and Climate-Related Worry: Prevalence and Association with Mental Health Outcomes in a Canadian Sample

A growing body of research suggests the impacts of both the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have negatively affected population mental health. However, evidence remains limited on the prevalence of overlapping pandemic- and climate-related worry and its association with mental health outcomes. The fourth round of the monitoring survey, Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health, was administered to adults living in Canada, between November-December 2021, stratified and weighted by age, income, gender, and region. Respondents were asked about stressors related to the pandemic, including: “Worrying about the compounding effects of COVID-19 alongside the climate crisis”. Bivariate statistics and logistic regression were used to assess how responses to this question varied by sociodemographic characteristics and indicators of mental health. Overall, 3,030 respondents participated, with 36.1% endorsing overlapping pandemic- and climate-related worry. Prevalence varied significantly across sociodemographic characteristics, including gender, income, and disability status. Moreover, those who reported this worry were more likely to describe their current mental health as poor, to endorse suicidal ideation, and to be experiencing severe mental distress, even when controlling for pre-existing mental health conditions prior to the pandemic. These results suggest that overlapping pandemic- and climate-related worry is relatively common among adults in Canada. This reiterates the importance of attending to the social determinants of health when considering the mental health consequences of climate change and the pandemic.