Public Health & Health Science Division, ULAB

Climate change poses growing threats to public health, with mounting evidence linkingenvironmental exposures to various mental health outcomes. While climate change isincreasingly recognized as a threat to mental health with well-established research on acuteclimate disasters, less is understood about the psychological effects of environmental stressors experienced during upbringing. This study examined whether perceived environmental quality during childhood and adolescence, such as air quality, water quality, and access to green space, is associated with mental health outcomes in adulthood. Participants (n = 33) completed ananonymous online survey assessing self-reported environmental exposures alongside a modified Mental Health Inventory (MHI) measuring anxiety, depression, tension, and hopelessness. Statistics utilizing regression analysis revealed that participants reported moderate environmental quality and moderate levels of psychological distress. Results include significant associations between environment and feelings of calm (R2 = 0.16, p = 0.019), water quality and calm (R2 = 0.19, p = 0.012), and green space access and calm (R2 = 0.13, p = 0.042), while no significant associations were found for nervousness, tension, or hopelessness. Overall, environmental quality was not a strong predictor of mental health in this sample, future research should use larger, more diverse samples and objective environmental measures to better clarify theserelationships.