Evidence mapPaperPMID 41329414Full record

SynthesisEcoHealth2026

Systematic Review of the Links between Eco-Distress and Mental Health.

N Gebhardt, F Westermann, Lilli Kleinböhl, H-C Friederich, C Nikendei

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in EcoHealth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

N GebhardtDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. nadja.gebhardt@med.uni-heidelberg.de.ORCID 0000-0001-9353-5394
F WestermannUniversity of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Lilli KleinböhlDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
H-C FriederichDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
C NikendeiDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEco-distress shows positive correlations with mental health impairments. However, the correlations reported by different studies vary widely. The aim of our review was to explore possible methodological sources for this heterogeneity, hereby deepening our understanding of eco-distress and its relationship with mental health.

methodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, Academic Search Complete, PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science were searched on 15.03.2025 for publications reporting the initial development of instruments assessing eco-distress, subsequent validation studies, or correlations with mental health impairments. We analyzed the relationship of psychometric quality and the range of effect sizes descriptively, as well as the potential influence of the type of mental health questionnaire, the psychometric quality, and study and sample characteristics statistically as moderators in meta-analysis.

resultsWe included 87 studies reporting on 15 different instruments. The underlying definitions of eco-distress differed and psychometric quality was mixed. However, confidence intervals did not vary systematically due to psychometric quality. Overall, eco-distress and mental health impairments correlated with r = 0.32, 95% CI [0.27; 0.37]. Only type of mental health questionnaire moderated the effect size.

conclusionAlthough it varied in magnitude, there was a significant positive correlation between eco-distress and mental health impairments. However, type of eco-distress questionnaire did not systematically influence the effect size. The heterogeneity was considerable and could only be partially explained by the moderators used. Future research should focus on the psychometric evaluation of existing instruments, as information on psychometric quality was incomplete for many instruments.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersMental HealthStress, PsychologicalHumansPsychometricsSurveys and Questionnairesclimate anxietyeco-anxietymental health impairmentspsychological assessmentpsychometric quality

Identifiers

PMID41329414
PMCPMC13287264

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.