The effect of heat exposure on mood disorders and psychosis: Protocol for a living systematic review of human and non-human studies (Preprint)

Résumé fourni par la source

BACKGROUND Global warming, the increase in average global temperatures, is one of the most impactful consequences of recent human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. This rise in temperatures is associated with individuals’ mental health in a range of ways (e.g., by triggering or exacerbating symptoms, altering the severity and frequency of symptoms) and through a variety of different pathways (e.g., through heat-related sleep disruption, irritability, cognitive changes). This detrimental impact appears to be unevenly distributed, with evidence hinting at a heightened impact on young people, older individuals, those living in lower socio-economic regions, and those living in the Global South. OBJECTIVE The aim of this living systematic review is to evaluate any causal effect of heat exposure on depressive, anxious, and psychotic symptoms, or suicidality, and if a causal effect exists, to evaluate the potential mediators of this effect. METHODS We will search electronic databases for longitudinal observational studies that measure exposure to heat and its effect on mental health outcomes, intervention studies that experimentally test the effects of heat exposure or cooling interventions, and qualitative studies that report mechanisms and pathways of the impact of heat on mental health outcomes. We will include studies in the general population or in populations diagnosed with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or suicidal tendencies. We will also include experimental studies of extreme heat exposure in non-human endothermic, terrestrial animals, which report behavioural outcomes relevant to human mental health. At least two reviewers will use pre-defined tools to select studies, extract data, and assess risk of bias. We will summarise evidence using qualitative meta-synthesis with a critical realist epistemology for qualitative studies, and random-effects meta-analyses or synthesis without meta-analysis for quantitative studies. We will conduct the review in a living mode, and we will re-run database searches every six months to identify potential new evidence. We will present the summary of evidence (SoE) across the different sources of evidence and apply triangulation methods to integrate findings and strengthen causal inference. This project is part of GALENOS, and we co-produce this review with members of the global lived experience advisory board. RESULTS N/A CONCLUSIONS N/A CLINICALTRIAL N/A

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