Students showed increased climate-related concern and emotional distress, along with worsened mental health, following the extreme event of the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Key Findings
Results
Concern about climate change and negative emotions increased from before to after the 2024 flood event among students.
A quantitative, single-group pre-post design was used to assess changes across the flood event.
Outcomes measured were concern about climate change and negative emotions or thoughts that harmful events may occur due to climate change (yes/no responses).
Increases were observed from pre- to post-event in both concern and negative emotions.
The study was conducted in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the context of the 2024 floods.
Results
Depression, anxiety, and stress scores all increased from before to after the flood event.
Mental health was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale for Adolescents.
Increases were observed from pre- to post-event in depression, anxiety, and stress measures.
Adjusted linear regression analyses were performed, with results expressed as beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals.
The study population consisted of students in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Results
Depression scores increased significantly among students who reported concern about climate change both before and after the flood.
The association between climate change concern and depression was observed at both pre- and post-flood time points.
Adjusted linear regression was used to assess associations between climate concern and mental health outcomes.
Results were expressed as beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals.
The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale for Adolescents was used to measure depression outcomes.
Results
Both depression and anxiety scores rose among students who reported negative emotions related to climate change.
Negative emotions were defined as negative emotions or thoughts that harmful events may occur due to climate change.
The association with negative emotions was observed for both depression and anxiety outcomes, but not explicitly stated for stress in the abstract.
Adjusted linear regression analyses were used to assess these associations.
This finding was observed across pre- and post-flood assessments.
Methods
The study used a single-group pre-post design to assess mental health and climate-related concerns before and after a major flood event.
The study was conducted in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
The extreme event examined was the 2024 flood in Rio Grande do Sul.
Participants were students, assessed using a quantitative approach.
Mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety, and stress, measured with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale for Adolescents.
No comparison control group was included, as a single-group pre-post design was employed.
What This Means
This research suggests that a major flood event in southern Brazil in 2024 was associated with worsening mental health among students, as well as increased worry and negative feelings about climate change. Researchers surveyed students in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul before and after the floods, measuring levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as whether students were concerned about climate change or had negative thoughts about harmful future climate events. They found that all of these measures increased after the flood compared to before it.
The study also found that students who expressed concern about climate change — both before and after the flood — had significantly higher depression scores. Students who reported negative emotions related to climate change showed increases in both depression and anxiety. This suggests a link between climate-related worry and poorer mental health, which appears to have been amplified by the experience of an actual extreme weather event.
This research matters because it highlights that extreme climate events may not only cause direct physical harm but may also worsen young people's mental health and heighten their emotional distress around climate change more broadly. As extreme weather events become more frequent, understanding these psychological impacts on young populations could be important for designing appropriate mental health support and community responses following disasters.
Corrêa L, Almeida B, Santos S, Santo S, Souza J, Pereira D, et al.. (2026). Concerns and emotions related to climate change and students' mental health before and after the floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.. Ciencia & saude coletiva. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232026319.14892024