Bisexual or pansexual and transgender or gender-expansive individuals reported higher mental health burdens from climate events, and housing insecurity appears to be a key social driver shaping disparities in climate-related mental health among LGBTQ+ populations.
Transgender or gender-expansive individuals had significantly higher odds of climate-related mental health burden compared to non-transgender/gender-expansive individuals.
Bisexual or pansexual individuals had significantly higher odds of climate-related mental health burden.
High housing insecurity was independently associated with greater odds of climate-related mental health burden.
Among gay respondents, experiencing housing insecurity was associated with approximately threefold higher odds of climate-related mental health burden, indicating a synergistic interaction.
The study used cross-sectional data from the 2023 California Health Interview Survey to examine climate-related mental health burden.
This research suggests that climate change does not affect everyone's mental health equally. Using data from over 14,000 California adults surveyed in 2023, the study found that transgender and gender-expansive people were about four times more likely, and bisexual or pansexual people were about 67% more likely, to report mental health burdens caused by climate events (such as wildfires, extreme heat, or floods) compared to people who do not identify that way. People experiencing high housing insecurity were also more likely to report climate-related mental health burdens, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The study also found that the combination of being gay and experiencing housing insecurity was especially harmful for mental health — gay individuals with housing insecurity had roughly three times higher odds of climate-related mental health burden than would be expected from either factor alone. This suggests that social vulnerabilities like unstable housing can dramatically amplify the psychological toll of climate events for LGBTQ+ people. This research suggests that addressing climate-related mental health disparities requires attention to overlapping social factors, not just climate exposure itself. Policies and interventions aimed at reducing housing instability among LGBTQ+ communities may be particularly important for protecting mental health in the face of worsening climate events. The findings highlight that certain groups already facing social and economic marginalization may bear a disproportionate psychological burden as climate change intensifies.
Choa E, Vlahov D, Poghosyan H. (2026). Mental Health Disparities From Climate Change: The Role of Housing Insecurity and LGBTQ+ Identity, California, 2023.. American journal of public health. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308379