Homesickness at Home: A Scoping Review of Solastalgia Experiences in Australia

Matilde Breth-Petersen (), Jasper Garay, Kaiwarr Clancy, Michelle Dickson and Candace Angelo
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Matilde Breth-Petersen: Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Jasper Garay: Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Kaiwarr Clancy: Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Michelle Dickson: Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Candace Angelo: Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Solastalgia is a term used to describe the pain and distress experienced by those witnessing their home environments destroyed or changed in unwelcome ways. Solastalgia is expected to become more prominent as climate change worsens and transforms landscapes. This scoping review examines and maps the existing literature on solastalgia in Australia, particularly focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences. Four focus questions guided the review to explore how solastalgia is conceptualized, highlight risk and protective factors, and identify strategies for addressing solastalgia. Eighteen papers met the criteria for inclusion. Overall, our results show a minimal evidence base on solastalgia in Australia with an even greater gap in exploring solastalgia from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. A strong connection to home environments was suggested as both a risk and protective factor for experiencing solastalgia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are considered at risk due to intimate connections to home environments, and since the invasion, have experienced mental distress resulting from significant, damaging changes to landscapes and home environments. We recommend further exploration of lived experiences of solastalgia across a greater diversity of Australian contexts, particularly amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including a focus on practical implications.

Keywords: solastalgia; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; connection to Country; mental wellbeing; social and emotional wellbeing; place-based distress; psychoterratic; eco-psychology; environmental change; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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