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Climate-Related Anxiety in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS): A Survey of Clinician Perspectives in Aberdeen, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2025

David Cornelius
Affiliation:
City Hospital, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Praveen Kumar
Affiliation:
City Hospital, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
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Abstract

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Aims: This study aimed to assess clinician-reported prevalence of climate-related anxiety among children and adolescents in CAMHS, evaluate awareness of its impact, and explore the perceived relevance of Aberdeen’s oil and gas industry context to patient mental health.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to the CAMHS team at City Hospital Aberdeen, comprising four questions on climate-related anxiety and one open-text query. Sixteen clinicians participated. Data were collected anonymously via Microsoft Forms, with quantitative analysis of closed responses and thematic review of qualitative feedback.

Results: Prevalence and Impact: 37.5% (6/16) of clinicians reported encountering climate-related anxiety in patients over the past year, with 43.8% (7/16) ranking it as affecting young people “very much” or “quite so”. Conversely, 50% (8/16) deemed it “not a significant issue”.

Clinical Consideration: 93.8% (15/16) admitted they do not routinely assess climate-related concerns during patient evaluations.

Local Industry Context: Qualitative responses highlighted that Aberdeen’s status as an oil and gas hub may indirectly affect patients through familial job instability, frequent relocations, and eco-guilt (e.g., “Yes, the nature of the work means children face big changes and school moves”).

Awareness Gaps: Clinicians acknowledged systemic oversight in addressing climate-related anxiety during assessments.

Conclusion: Climate-related anxiety is inconsistently recognised and addressed in CAMHS practice, despite emerging cases and contextual ties to local industry stressors. Clinician responses reflect uncertainty about its significance, compounded by a lack of structured assessment protocols. These findings underscore the need for training to integrate climate-related concerns into routine evaluations, particularly in regions with economic dependencies on environmentally impactful industries. Recommendations include developing evidence-based screening tools, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with environmental health sectors, and addressing systemic gaps to ensure holistic, context-sensitive care for young people.

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Type
Rapid-Fire Presentations
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

Abstracts were reviewed by the RCPsych Academic Faculty rather than by the standard BJPsych Open peer review process and should not be quoted as peer-reviewed by BJPsych Open in any subsequent publication.

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