Caregivers reported greater climate-related mental health burden than non-caregivers, and structural factors including housing insecurity, financial stress, sexual identity, care recipient type, rural residence, and low community cohesion were associated with elevated burden within the caregiver subgroup.
Caregivers had significantly increased odds of climate-related mental health burden compared to non-caregivers.
Housing insecurity was associated with higher odds of climate-related mental health burden among caregivers.
Caregiving-related financial stress was associated with elevated climate-related mental health burden among caregivers.
Bisexual or pansexual identity was associated with substantially higher odds of climate-related mental health burden among caregivers.
Caregivers providing care to older adults had higher odds of climate-related mental health burden than other caregivers.
Rural caregivers living in neighborhoods with low community cohesion had markedly elevated odds of climate-related mental health burden.
This research suggests that people who provide unpaid care to family members or others are significantly more likely than non-caregivers to experience mental health impacts related to climate change. Using data from California's statewide health survey conducted in 2023, researchers found that caregivers were about 57% more likely to report climate-related mental health burden after accounting for other factors. This adds to growing evidence that caregivers face compounding stressors that may make them especially vulnerable to climate-related threats. Among caregivers specifically, several structural and social factors were linked to even greater mental health burden. These included being housing insecure, experiencing financial stress tied to caregiving, identifying as bisexual or pansexual, caring for an older adult, and living in a rural area with weak neighborhood social connections. The association with bisexual or pansexual identity was particularly strong, nearly tripling the odds of climate-related mental health burden compared to caregivers without that identity. Rural caregivers in low-cohesion communities also faced more than twice the burden of others. This research suggests that climate adaptation planning should explicitly consider the needs of caregivers, particularly those facing multiple social and economic disadvantages. The findings point to the importance of community cohesion, financial support, and stable housing as potential areas where interventions could help reduce climate-related mental health impacts for caregivers and, by extension, for the people they care for.
Choa E, Vlahov D, Sarkar S, Poghosyan H. (2026). Climate change and mental health burden among caregivers in California.. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag048