© aau/Tischler-BanfieldClimate change is bringing rising temperatures and more frequent extreme heatwaves, with consequences at many levels. Over the next three years, Antonio Piolanti, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Klagenfurt’s Department of Health Psychology, will explore how extreme ambient temperatures may contribute to violence against women in intimate relationships and to child maltreatment. He has secured an MSCA Global Postdoctoral Fellowship from the European Commission (Horizon Europe) as well as an Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund FWF to support this research.

“In this new project, I want to investigate how rising temperatures linked to climate change may influence family violence, particularly violence against women in intimate relationships and child maltreatment. While some studies already suggest that extreme heat can heighten aggression, evidence in this area is still fairly limited,” explains Antonio Piolanti, a postdoctoral researcher in the Global Mental Health & Health Psychology research group at the Department of Health Psychology at the University of Klagenfurt.
The project will be implemented in Brazil, a country where the impacts of climate change are increasingly visible. In February this year, for example, a heatwave pushed temperatures above 40°C in the capital, Rio de Janeiro. To investigate the relationship between extreme heat and family violence, Antonio Piolanti will analyze data from a cohort of around 130 million people in Brazil, linking information on violence and social conditions with detailed climate data. The study aims to examine whether higher temperatures are associated with increased risks of violence against women in intimate relationships and child maltreatment. In addition, the research will seek to identify groups that may be particularly vulnerable, such as low-income families, and contribute evidence to inform policies and prevention strategies that take climate-related risks into account.
The project builds on collaborations that Antonio Piolanti has developed in recent years between the Klagenfurt Health Lab, led by Heather Foran, Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Klagenfurt, and Professor Michael Reichenheim at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil.
For this project, Antonio Piolanti was awarded two prestigious fellowships: the MSCA Global Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025 under the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme and the Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships support excellent researchers who have completed a doctorate and wish to undertake an extended period of research abroad. The Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship, in turn, is designed to support outstanding postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines in pursuing advanced research internationally.
Der Beitrag How does heat affect family violence? erschien zuerst auf University of Klagenfurt.