PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
BACKGROUND: While adverse impacts of climate change on physical health are well-known, research on its effects on mental health is still scarce. Thus, it is unclear whether potential impacts have already reached treatment practice. Our study aimed to quantify psychotherapists\' experiences with patients reporting climate change-related concerns and their views on dealing with this topic in psychotherapy.
METHODS: In a nationwide online survey, responses were collected from 573 psychotherapists from Germany. Therapists reported on the presence of such patients, their socio-demographic characteristics, and climate change-related reactions. Psychotherapists\' views on dealing with this topic in psychotherapy were also assessed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the responses.
RESULTS: About 72% (410/573) of psychotherapists indicated having had patients expressing concerns about climate change during treatment. Out of these therapists, 41% (166/410) stated that at least one patient sought treatment deliberately because of such concerns. Patients were mainly young adults with higher education. Most frequent primary diagnoses were depression, adjustment disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapists having encountered such patients differed from those without such encounters in their views on potential functional impairment and the necessity to target the concerns in treatment. Although 79% (326/415) of all respondents felt adequately prepared by their current therapeutic skills, 50% (209/414) reported a lack of information on how to deal with such concerns in therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that psychotherapists are frequently confronted with climate change-related concerns and regard the mental health impact of climate change on their patients as meaningful to psychotherapeutic care. Regular care could be improved by a continuous refinement of the conceptualization and knowledge of the mental health influences of climate change. This would allow providing tailored methods of assessing and addressing climate change-related concerns in practice.
METHODS: In a nationwide online survey, responses were collected from 573 psychotherapists from Germany. Therapists reported on the presence of such patients, their socio-demographic characteristics, and climate change-related reactions. Psychotherapists\' views on dealing with this topic in psychotherapy were also assessed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the responses.
RESULTS: About 72% (410/573) of psychotherapists indicated having had patients expressing concerns about climate change during treatment. Out of these therapists, 41% (166/410) stated that at least one patient sought treatment deliberately because of such concerns. Patients were mainly young adults with higher education. Most frequent primary diagnoses were depression, adjustment disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapists having encountered such patients differed from those without such encounters in their views on potential functional impairment and the necessity to target the concerns in treatment. Although 79% (326/415) of all respondents felt adequately prepared by their current therapeutic skills, 50% (209/414) reported a lack of information on how to deal with such concerns in therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that psychotherapists are frequently confronted with climate change-related concerns and regard the mental health impact of climate change on their patients as meaningful to psychotherapeutic care. Regular care could be improved by a continuous refinement of the conceptualization and knowledge of the mental health influences of climate change. This would allow providing tailored methods of assessing and addressing climate change-related concerns in practice.
摘要：
背景：虽然气候变化对身体健康的不利影响是众所周知的，关于其对心理健康影响的研究仍然很少。因此，目前尚不清楚潜在影响是否已经达到治疗实践。我们的研究旨在量化心理治疗师对报告气候变化相关问题的患者的经验以及他们在心理治疗中处理这一主题的看法。
方法：在一项全国性的在线调查中，从来自德国的573名心理治疗师那里收集了回应。治疗师报告了这些患者的存在，他们的社会人口特征，以及与气候变化有关的反应。还评估了心理治疗师对心理治疗中处理此主题的看法。使用描述性统计数据来分析答复。
结果：约72%（410/573）的心理治疗师表示，患者在治疗期间对气候变化表示担忧。在这些治疗师中，41％（166/410）表示，至少有一名患者出于这种担忧而故意寻求治疗。患者主要是受过高等教育的年轻人。最常见的主要诊断是抑郁症，调整障碍,和广泛性焦虑症。遇到过此类患者的心理治疗师与没有遇到此类患者的心理治疗师在潜在的功能损害以及治疗中必须针对这些问题的观点上有所不同。尽管79%(326/415)的受访者认为他们目前的治疗技能已经做好了充分的准备，50％（209/414）报告缺乏有关如何在治疗中处理此类问题的信息。
结论：结果表明，心理治疗师经常面临与气候变化相关的问题，并认为气候变化对患者的心理健康影响对心理治疗有意义。通过不断完善气候变化对心理健康影响的概念化和知识，可以改善定期护理。这将允许提供在实践中评估和解决与气候变化有关的关切的量身定制的方法。
方法：在一项全国性的在线调查中，从来自德国的573名心理治疗师那里收集了回应。治疗师报告了这些患者的存在，他们的社会人口特征，以及与气候变化有关的反应。还评估了心理治疗师对心理治疗中处理此主题的看法。使用描述性统计数据来分析答复。
结果：约72%（410/573）的心理治疗师表示，患者在治疗期间对气候变化表示担忧。在这些治疗师中，41％（166/410）表示，至少有一名患者出于这种担忧而故意寻求治疗。患者主要是受过高等教育的年轻人。最常见的主要诊断是抑郁症，调整障碍,和广泛性焦虑症。遇到过此类患者的心理治疗师与没有遇到此类患者的心理治疗师在潜在的功能损害以及治疗中必须针对这些问题的观点上有所不同。尽管79%(326/415)的受访者认为他们目前的治疗技能已经做好了充分的准备，50％（209/414）报告缺乏有关如何在治疗中处理此类问题的信息。
结论：结果表明，心理治疗师经常面临与气候变化相关的问题，并认为气候变化对患者的心理健康影响对心理治疗有意义。通过不断完善气候变化对心理健康影响的概念化和知识，可以改善定期护理。这将允许提供在实践中评估和解决与气候变化有关的关切的量身定制的方法。
