Page 72 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Climate change and mental health of adolescents

the harsh environment of the shelters, the food supply, and vulnerable population. Our findings underscore the fact
the loss of everything poured into mental health issues that adolescents are particularly susceptible to the adverse
there (Dewan, 2015; Rahman et al., 2015). consequences of floods. Mental health challenges intensify
PTSD, depression, and psychological distress appear with school closure, restricted mobility, and the trauma
to be affecting adolescents who have been forced to live of losing loved ones. Notably, the research revealed that a
in harsh conditions in flood shelters due to the loss of substantial percentage of adolescents exhibited symptoms
their loved ones. The shutdown of their schools due to the of PTSD and depression, with percentages varying between
flood water further exacerbated the situation. The living genders. These findings emphasize the urgent need for a
conditions in the shelters are challenging, and scarcity of comprehensive support mechanism for addressing this
resources, including food, is prevalent. Relying on relief issue. All stakeholders must prioritize the provision of
efforts for sustenance has had a negative impact on their mental health resources and resilience-building strategies.
self-esteem. All of these factors fueled their psychological Therefore, a collective effort to mitigate these challenges
irregularities. is required. By prioritizing mental health support and
resilience-building, communities can be better fortified,
According to the findings, it is evident that mental and the well-being of those most affected by climate
health concerns and harm reduction strategies should be change-induced disasters can be enhanced.
given paramount importance when addressing the needs
of adolescents affected by floods; similarly, individuals with Acknowledgments
mental issues should be included in this consideration.
The stakeholders and relevant authorities should actively None.
support adolescents grappling with mental health and
facilitate their access to the required resources and support Funding
networks. None.
Acknowledging adolescents who are vulnerable to Conflict of interest
developing significant psychological health complications
is a crucial measure in mitigating their frequency and The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
intensity. To mitigate the disintegration of individuals,
households, societies, establishments, and communities, Author contributions
it is imperative to implement psychological interventions Conceptualization: Md Abu Bakkar Siddik
that prioritize the development of coping mechanisms and Formal analysis: Md Abu Bakkar Siddik
resilience. Investigation: Md Abu Bakkar Siddik, Kamruzzaman Nabil

4.1. Limitations Methodology: Md Abu Bakkar Siddik, Morioum Sarkar
Munmun
The study presents several noteworthy limitations. First, the Supervision: Zobayer Ahmed
sample size of 53 adolescents may limit a comprehensive Writing—original draft: All authors
understanding of the mental health outcomes of teenagers Writing—review and editing: Md Abu Bakkar Siddik,
affected by floods. In addition, the data collection Zobayer Ahmed
method based on flood shelter attendance and voluntary
participation may have restricted the representativeness of Ethics approval and consent to participate
the sample. This cross-sectional study design did not depict
the evolving nature of mental health outcomes over time. Before taking part in the study, both the participants and
Furthermore, it limits the capacity of the study to establish their parents gave their written approval to take part in the
a temporal relationship between flood experiences and research.
mental health outcomes. Longitudinal research can Consent for publication
provide a better understanding of this issue. Future surveys
should be door-to-door rather than shelter-based. There was formal agreement for the publication of the
participants’ data from both the participants themselves
5. Conclusion and their parents.

The mental health of adolescents in Bangladesh has Availability of data
been significantly affected by recurrent and devastating
floods. This study provides a big picture of the effects of Data used in this work are available from the corresponding
such natural disasters on the mental well-being of this author on reasonable request.

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 66 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0339