Associations of heat exposure with mental health and suicide in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal article

Limited evidence exists on the association between high temperature and mental health in younger age group. We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus and PsycInfo and reviewed studies that explore the associations of heat exposure with mental health and suicide among children and adolescents ( ≤24 years). Twenty-eight observational studies published over 2007-2025 were included for systematic review. Exposure to high temperature was associated with 13% (95% confidence intervals: 1.08 to 1.19; n = 720,512) higher risk of hospital visits or hospitalizations for mental health disorders, 14% (1.01 to 1.28; n = 529,654) higher risk for schizophrenia, 18% (1.03 to 1.34; n = 146,046) higher risk for depression, and 12% (1.06 to 1.18; n = 1,188,501) higher risk for composite mental health illnesses, relative to low temperature. Each 1 °C increment in temperature was associated with 1.0% (1.00 to 1.02; n = 30,749) higher risk of suicide. Findings suggest the need for early life interventions and evidence-based adaptation policies for preventing against climate-induced mental illnesses and suicide. Optimizing policies will be important for high- and upper-middle-income countries, while more scientific evidence from lower-income economies are warranted.

Authors: Lai, KY; Bauermeister, S; Sarkar, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: npj Mental Health Research
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 7
• Publication date: 2026-01-30
• Acceptance date: 2026-01-13
• DOI: 10.1038/s44184-026-00190-w
• EISSN: 2731-4251
• ISSN: 2731-4251
• Language: English