‘Mental Weathering’
Charles Adedayo Agunbode, Steven Kator Iorfa, Jennifer Uchendu, Moksha Ashok Patel, Hope Lekwa, Ayomide Olude, Paul Dankwa, Fatou Jeng, Abdoulie Singhateh, Roseline Mansaray, Ezekiel NyanforAbstract
African climate research has focused predominantly on physical and socio-economic impacts, while psychological consequences remain comparatively underexamined. Using in-depth interviews, this study investigated lived experiences of the psychological impacts of climate change, and the coping responses employed by residents in five West African cities (Accra, Banjul, Freetown, Lagos, and Monrovia; N = 50). The study was co-produced with partner organizations based in each city. Reflexive thematic analysis generated two interrelated themes. Mental weathering captures the cumulative erosion of emotional resilience, ontological security, and social stability under ongoing and anticipated exposure to climate hazards. Strain to strategy describes how participants navigated this burden through inward-focused strategies (distancing, cognitive reframing) and outward-focused action (community mobilization, environmental initiatives), while revealing that access to the psychological benefits of action was itself constrained by material deprivation and structural inequality. Together, the findings highlight climate justice as a psychological concern and offer insights for strengthening climate resilience in one of the world’s fastest-urbanizing regions.