Community-Engaged Approaches to Climate Change and Mental Health (2026-2027)
Background
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major threat to human health — including mental health. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events and environmental degradation can directly trigger trauma, anxiety and post-disaster stress, while indirect effects like economic disruption, displacement, housing instability and threats to community cohesion can exacerbate chronic conditions such as depression, suicidality and substance use.
People with pre-existing mental health conditions are especially vulnerable. These risks are often amplified in historically under-represented communities, including low-income populations, children, people with disabilities and communities of color, where social and economic determinants already contribute to mental health disparities.
Effective adaptation strategies require research that is collaborative, community-driven and grounded in lived experience. Implementation science — the study of how to apply evidence in real-world settings — provides a framework for developing feasible, acceptable and impactful interventions. This project will advance a community-engaged research agenda to better understand and mitigate the mental health impacts of climate change.
Project Description
Working closely with Carolina Advocates for Climate, Health, and Equity (CACHE), this team will co-develop a qualitative research project to understand how climate change affects mental health in North Carolina communities and what types of interventions may help.
The project will pursue three aims:
Aim 1: Co-develop research tools with community partners
Students will learn implementation science concepts and examine mechanisms linking climate change and mental health. They will work with CACHE to develop clear, community-relevant research questions, identify interest-holders to engage and create interview guides tailored to different groups.
Aim 2: Conduct qualitative interviews with interest-holders
Students will conduct approximately 20 interviews with individuals and organizations across the Duke Health System, Durham and nearby North Carolina counties. They will work in pairs as interviewer and note-taker, supported by training in human subjects research, IRB processes, rapport building, qualitative interviewing and ethical data handling.
Aim 3: Analyze data and disseminate findings
Students will transcribe interviews, develop a qualitative codebook and conduct thematic analysis. They will collaborate with CACHE to interpret findings and produce outputs that support local planning and intervention development, such as academic manuscripts, presentations and one-page summaries for community distribution.
Anticipated Outputs
- Interview guides for a range of climate and mental health interest-holders
- IRB protocol and research materials
- Transcripts, codebook and qualitative theme synthesis
- Manuscript prepared for peer-reviewed publication
- Presentations and one-page briefs for community audiences
- Foundations for sustained partnership with CACHE and future grant submissions
Student Opportunities
The team will include 2 graduate students and 6–8 undergraduate students from fields such as population health, global health, environmental science, sociology, anthropology, public policy, psychology and related disciplines. Students with a passion for climate and health equity, strong communication skills and an interest in community engagement are encouraged to apply.
Students will gain skills in:
- Implementation science and climate–health frameworks
- Community partnership development
- Research design and IRB processes
- Qualitative interviewing, transcription and analysis
- Codebook development and thematic synthesis
- Plain-language science communication and academic manuscript writing
- Working collaboratively in interdisciplinary, community-engaged settings
Graduate students will be selected as project managers and perform roles such as subteam management, mentoring undergraduates, supporting partnership coordination and contributing to manuscript preparation.
In Fall 2026, this team will meet on Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m.
Timing
Fall 2026 – Spring 2027
Fall 2026:
- Participate in lectures and workshops on climate–health linkages, implementation science, research methods and community engagement
- Co-develop interview guides with CACHE
Spring 2027:
- Conduct qualitative interviews
- Develop codebook and analyze transcripts
- Interpret findings collaboratively with CACHE
- Prepare academic manuscript and community-facing products
Summer 2027 (optional):
- Continue manuscript preparation and dissemination
- Lay groundwork for future grant proposals
Crediting
Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters
See earlier related team, Community-Engaged Approaches to Climate Change and Mental Health (2025-2026).