[Climate crisis and mental health: a scoping review eco-anxiety in latinamerican adults].

A scoping review identified only five Latin American studies on eco-anxiety in young adults meeting inclusion criteria.

• The review followed JBI and PRISMA-ScR guidelines with no year or language restrictions.
• Databases searched included PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, BIREME-BVS, and SciELO.
• Two independent reviewers selected, extracted, and synthesized data from observational and experimental studies.
• Risk of bias was not evaluated in the included studies.

Identified risk factors for eco-anxiety in Latin American young adults included being female, a history of anxiety, perception of governmental inaction, and exposure to extreme events.

• These risk factors were identified across the five included Latin American studies.
• Female sex was specifically identified as a risk factor.
• Both individual-level factors (history of anxiety) and socio-political factors (perception of governmental inaction) were identified.
• Environmental exposure factors such as exposure to extreme events were also identified as risk factors.

Most included studies used cross-sectional designs and reported associations between climate concern and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction.

• The predominant study design across the five included studies was cross-sectional.
• Associations were reported between climate concern and anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and social dysfunction.
• Assessment tools employed included the Climate Change Anxiety Scale and adapted self-report measures.
• The cross-sectional nature of most studies limits causal inference.

Eco-anxiety in Latin America lacks a consistent definition and shows variability in assessment instruments and associated factors.

• No uniform definition of eco-anxiety was found across the Latin American literature reviewed.
• Variability was noted in the instruments used to measure eco-anxiety across studies.
• Regional research was characterized as limited and lacking conceptual standardization.
• This conceptual inconsistency was identified as a barrier to consolidating the construct.

The authors concluded that longitudinal studies and rigorous diagnostic methodologies are needed to consolidate the conceptualization of eco-anxiety and integrate it into public policies and health systems.

• Eco-anxiety was characterized as 'an emerging phenomenon with clinical, social, and environmental implications.'
• The current evidence base relies predominantly on cross-sectional designs, limiting understanding of temporal relationships.
• Integration into public policies and health systems was identified as a needed outcome of future research.
• The authors called for both methodological rigor and policy-level action in response to eco-anxiety in Latin America.