Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Find Extreme Heat Can Impact Youth Mental Health, Contributing to Aggression in Pre- and Early Adolescents

Study also finds disparities in youth exposure to climate change

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found racial and ethnic disparities in pre- and early adolescent exposure to extreme heat, as well as a small but significant association between extreme heat and specific behavioral symptoms like aggression. The study was recently published in the journal JAACAP Open, the open-access journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

In past years, areas across the United States have seen an increasing number of days with extreme heat, defined as temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit (38.2 Celsius). Given prior research linking climate change to the ongoing youth mental health crisis, researchers sought to further understand the relationship between extreme heat and externalizing symptoms, such as aggression, in pre- and early adolescents.

"Our findings support the importance of investigating the contribution of extreme heat to escalating youth mental health issues," said Ran Barzilay, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and a psychiatrist with the Youth Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Research Center at CHOP. "Generating data on the relationship between climate change and mental health early in the lifespan is crucial to inform policies because mental health problems in early adolescence may precede impaired functioning and lower wellbeing in adulthood."

In this study, the research team analyzed data on more than 8,000 children ages 9-12 across 21 sites across the United States from April to October 2016-2020. The data was pulled from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States that represents the diversity of US youth. The researchers characterized extreme heat during the period studied according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. 

The researchers linked the data on extreme heat with data on participants' aggression and hyperactivity (parent-report) and suicide attempts (self-report). They found evidence for racial and ethnic disparities in terms of exposure to extreme heat, which was less prevalent among non-Hispanic White participants (5.2 days/month) compared to non-Hispanic Black and to Hispanic youth (7.2 and 7.4 days/month, respectively). The researchers also noted that extreme heat showed a small but significant association with behavioral symptoms, specifically aggression. The association did not change when adjusting for demographics and remained similar when further adjusted for neighborhood characteristics. In this study, extreme heat was not associated with suicide attempts.

"Given the projected global increases in temperature, future research is warranted to better understand the mechanisms linking hot weather and youth mental health and its related racial and ethnic disparities. Such insight can inform development of timely interventions, which can significantly alter the trajectory of a child's wellbeing and improve long-term health outcomes," said Barzilay, who is also an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman school of medicine and CHOP and Penn Medicine Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI).

The research is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Briker et al. "Association Between Extreme Heat and Externalizing Symptoms in Pre- and Early Adolescence: Findings from the ABCD Study." JAACAP Open. Online September 27, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaacop.2024.09.009.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: 
A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu.

Contact: Kaitlyn Tivenan
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
(610) 618-0542
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia