Climate change and the mental health of occupational groups
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-12)

Some occupational groups may be at increased risk of mental health impacts associated with extreme weather.

CCHS navigation menu: CCHS homepage (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-centre-for-climate-health-security)Topic: health impacts (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/health-impacts) Part of: Climate change and mental health (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/climate-change-and-mental-health)

Key mental health resources for occupational groups:

Climate change and the mental health of occupational groups

Overview of the climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/overview-of-the-climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Climate change and mental health report (pdf) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Additional resources:
- Rural Adversity and Mental Health Programme (https://www.ramhp.com.au/) (based in New South Wales, Australia. Provides an example of a programme of resources and support services for rural populations)
The occupational groups most at risk from climate change

The climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report) identifies several occupational groups including farmers, first responders, volunteers and healthcare workers as being at greater risk of mental health impacts due to extreme weather stressors.

Figure 1. Impacts of climate change on the mental health of certain occupational populations

Image taken from the climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report).

Farmers

Farmers are especially vulnerable during extreme heat, flooding and drought, as they must continue working to maintain their livelihoods in harsh conditions, while facing financial and emotional strain from stressors such as crop losses. Rising temperatures have been linked to increased suicide rates amongst farmers, one study found that suicide amongst farmers increased by 4.8% because of a decline in agricultural productivity due to increased temperatures (1 (#refs)). Drought has also been shown to cause psychological distress in rural communities, affecting not just farmers but their families as well.

Emergency responders

Emergency responders and healthcare professionals also face significant mental health challenges during climate events such as floods, wildfires, and heatwaves. These workers often endure high workloads, limited access to mental health support, and experience prolonged exposure to traumatic events, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remaining prevalent among firefighters even years after bushfire incidents.

Disaster volunteers

Volunteers, while crucial to disaster response, may be more psychologically vulnerable due to less formal training and support. Volunteers have reported more structural and emotional difficulties than professional responders. Despite the increasing amount of evidence, much of the research comes from countries outside of the UK, so more UK-specific evidence is needed.

Healthcare professionals

Mental health professionals and healthcare workers may be at increased risk as they are often involved in supporting those exposed to extreme weather events, which can then affect their own mental health. Again however, confidence in this finding is lower as there has been less research conducted on these occupational groups.

References
- Corvetto JF and others ‘A systematic literature review of the impact of climate change on the global demand for psychiatric services (https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1190)’ International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2023: volume 20