Climate and environmental issues in Geneva: perceptions and links with mental health

David De Ridder, Roxane Dumont, Aminata Rosalie Bouhet, Julien Lamour, Shannon Mechoullam, Hélène Baysson, Stéphane Joost, Silvia Stringhini, Mayssam Nehme, Idris Guessous
Climate change perspectives and associations with mental health in a population-based study,Journalof Affective Disorders, April 2026

Abstract:

Background: The psychological consequences of climate change, including eco-anxiety, are increasingly documented worldwide. However, attitudes to climate change vary widely between individuals and countries, and the factors shaping these differences, in particular the role of mental health, remain insufficiently understood. A spatial approach makes it possible to examine whether eco-anxiety and general anxiety coexist within the same populations and geographical contexts, an issue that has as yet been little explored in a European urban context. The aim of this study was to characterise attitudes to climate change in Geneva, examine their associations with mental health indicators and explore their geographical distribution.

Methods: We analysed data from 3136 adults participating in the Specchio population-based study in Geneva, Switzerland. Perceptions of climate change were assessed using the Six Americas Short Survey (SASSY) questionnaire, and mental health using the PHQ-2 (depression) and GAD-2 (anxiety) screening tools. Associations were estimated using ordinal logistic regression models, adjusted for socio-demographic and socio-economic factors. Spatial groupings were examined using univariate and bivariate Getis-Ord Gi* analyses.

Results: The level of climate concern was particularly high, with 76% of participants classified as 'Alarmed' or 'Concerned', a rate significantly higher than recent national surveys. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with overall climate worry (OR = 1.071; 95% CI: 1.014 to 1.132), while anxiety symptoms showed a stronger association with climate worry (OR = 1.178; 95% CI: 1.121 to 1.238). Women were more likely than men to report a preoccupied outlook and high climate anxiety. Spatial analysis revealed distinct patterns between urban and peripheral areas, with 11.7% of participants residing in spatial clusters of combined climate worry and anxiety, concentrated in urban centres.

Conclusions: In Geneva, concern about climate change is widespread and significantly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, with a marked geographical clustering in urban centres. These results provide a better understanding of the links between climate and mental health and identify potential targets for community-based interventions.

Link to the article in English

This text was automatically translated from French using artificial intelligence