MINDCLIMATE: Integrating Mental Health into Climate Change Policy in Zimbabwe: A Multisectoral Approach

Our goal is to ensure that Zimbabwe’s climate policy response integrates mental health by generating policy-relevant evidence on links between mental health and climate change and potential policy responses. We hypothesize that chronic and acute climate impacts, mediated through agricultural disruption and food insecurity, contribute to increased anxiety, stress, and depression, but can be mitigated through community-based interventions such as the Friendship Bench. We will combine high-resolution environmental data, historical survey data and a cross-sectional survey in 8 districts complimented by the installation of remote weather monitoring stations to enhance climate data granularity and community knowledge to examine associations between climate variability and mental health outcomes. We will apply human-centered design methods to co-develop community-led adaptation strategies and work with policymakers to translate evidence into climate-resilient mental health policies and integrate mitigation strategies into community platforms such as the Friendship Bench model. Public awareness activities, including multimedia campaigns, will promote climate and mental health literacy at community and national levels. This work will fill critical evidence gaps, inform national climate adaptation planning, and promote inclusive, resilience-building approaches that integrate mental health into Zimbabwe’s broader climate resilience strategies.