Introduction: Research has documented both seasonal and demographic trends in children's quality of life (QoL). Climate change and human climate vulnerability have been identified as threat multipliers of such disparities, yet no prior study has analyzed how seasonal climate vulnerability modifies demographic associations in childhood QoL and life satisfaction.


Purpose: This study examines whether seasonal climate vulnerability clusters act as threat multipliers for demographic differences in QoL and life satisfaction among students attending Title I schools in St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL.


Methods: Drawing on four seasonal surveys, we applied k-means multiply imputed cluster analysis to identify climate vulnerability profiles among 528 fourth-eighth grade students, based on three domains: climate exposure, adaptive capacity, and perception. Clusters were thematically labeled using Castleberry and Nolen's approach. Demographic variables included age, sex, race, ethnicity, and child/maternal/paternal nativity. QoL and life satisfaction were measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (PQ-LES-Q). We used hierarchical linear regression models with robust standard errors to test demographic associations, and examined effect measure modification by climate vulnerability cluster.


Results: We identified five summer, two fall, four winter, and three spring vulnerability clusters. Cluster assignment was associated with both demographic characteristics and QoL outcomes. Seasonal demographic associations varied substantially: for example, in summer and spring, older children and girls in heat-exposed clusters reported lower QoL, whereas such differences were absent in fall clusters. Patterns consistent with eco-grief emerged, as foreign-born children in climate-concerned clusters reported lower QoL than U.S.-born peers.


Conclusions: Findings suggest that climate vulnerability acts as a seasonal threat multiplier of demographic differences in children's QoL and life satisfaction. Longitudinal, multi-year data are needed to assess temporal stability and to inform targeted, season-specific interventions that support child well-being in the context of climate change.