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. 2023 Nov 6:14:1237740.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1237740. eCollection 2023.

Climate change and mental health of Indigenous peoples living in their territory: a concept mapping study

Antonio Jose Grande  1 , Ieda M A V Dias  2 , Paulo T C Jardim  1 , Alessandra Aparecida Vieira Machado  1 , Jacks Soratto  3 , Maria Inês da Rosa  3 , Leonardo Roever  4   5 , Luciane Bisognin Ceretta  3 , Xanthi Zourntos  6 , Seeromanie Harding  6
Affiliations

Climate change and mental health of Indigenous peoples living in their territory: a concept mapping study

Antonio Jose Grande et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The alarming increase in annual deforestation rates has had devastating consequences in climate change, and it is affecting Indigenous people, who depend entirely on the land for survival and has also weakened the rainforest's crucial role in stabilizing the global climate. Recognizing and respecting Indigenous people's needs and social, economic, and historical conditions influence health and healthcare. This study aimed to conduct online concept mapping workshops with university students to identify perceived important and feasible actions for improving the mental health of Indigenous people living in their territory in association with climate change.

Methods: Concept mapping, a participatory mixed methodology, was conducted virtually with 20 Indigenous students at two universities in Brazil. A focus prompt was developed from consultations with Indigenous stakeholders and read-"To improve the mental health of Indigenous peoples in their territory during climate change crises, it is necessary to…."

Results: University students organized 42 unique statements in 6 clusters that cover a wide range of topics: family support, 0.68 (SD 0.19); respect and understanding, 0.37 (SD 0.08); improvement actions, 0.52 (SD 0.07); public policies in favor of Indigenous people's mental health, 0.24 (0.09); health actions, 0.15 (SD 0.08); Indigenous training in health and its importance in improving mental health 0.32 (SD 0.07).

Conclusion: These clusters range from community initiatives, public policies, health actions, and strengthening professional services in Indigenous communities. These all provide numerous concrete ideas for developing interventions designed to address mental health challenges associated with climate change.

Keywords: Indigenous; climate change; community based participatory research; concept mapping; mental health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Concept mapping research steps.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cluster concept map showcasing the factors that stakeholders felt were important and feasible to influence the protection of their mental health in response to climate change.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pattern match of average perceived importance and feasibility ratings.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Go-Zone map illustrating the mean ratings for importance and feasibility for each statement. The colors of each point represent which cluster the statements belong to.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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