Search Results (28)

Rapid climate change and its anticipated impacts trigger significant worry and distress among vulnerable groups, including young adults. Little is known about how Dutch young adults experience and cope with climate change within their specific social and environmental context. This study examines Dutch young people’s emotional responses to climate change, their perceived emotional and psychological needs arising from these experiences, and the barriers they encounter in engaging in pro-environmental behaviour, with the aim of informing public health strategies to better support and empower this vulnerable group. Data were drawn from a large online survey among a representative sample of 1006 Dutch young adults (16–35 years; 51% women). The questionnaire included fixed-answer sections assessing emotional responses to climate change, as well as two open-ended questions exploring participants’ perceptions of their emotional and psychological needs related to climate change and the barriers they perceive to pro-environmental behaviour. Descriptive statistics were used for the fixed-response items, and thematic analysis was applied to the open-ended responses. Many Dutch young adults reported worry and sadness about climate change and its impacts, with approximately one third experiencing feelings of powerlessness. A large percentage of respondents attributed responsibility to large companies, and nearly half indicated that they still had hope for the future. One third (31%) felt that nothing could make them feel better about climate change, and another third (36%) reported to experience no climate-related emotions. Key emotional needs included more action at personal, community, and governmental levels, and more motivating positive news. Almost half (46%) of young adults said they already lived sustainably, while perceived barriers to pro-environmental behaviour were mainly financial (21%), knowledge-related (8%), and time-related (7%). This exploratory study highlights key practical and emotional barriers to pro-environmental behaviour reported by Dutch young adults 16–35, who expressed diverse emotional needs while coping with climate change. The findings underscore the need for a multi-level public health response to climate-related emotions, that simultaneously addresses emotional needs, structural barriers, and opportunities for meaningful engagement. Lowering barriers to pro-environmental behaviour and fostering supportive environments that enable sustainable action among young adults may enhance wellbeing and strengthen their sense of agency. Public health supports this by reducing barriers to pro-environmental behaviour in young adults, through targeted support, clear information, and enabling social and structural conditions that promote wellbeing and sustained engagement. Full article

Factors like future time perspective, cultural belongings, and semiotic resources (i.e., individuals’ meanings to interpret the world), as well as worrying phenomena (climate change and armed conflicts), can harm wellbeing and increase personal distress. The study, comparing Armenian and Italian contexts, explores whether youths’ wellbeing and psychological distress are explained by openness to time perspective, anxiety about uncertainty, and worry regarding climate change and war, as a function of the individual semiotic resources (mapped by Views of Context). Participants were 202 Armenian and 271 Italian young adults (M_age = 21.23, SD_age = 3.35). A Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) applied to Views of Context extracted two dimensions of sense; a second-order MCA aggregated the extracted meanings into three clusters named Orientation towards self-care (CL₁), Social and personal commitment (CL₂), and Absolute devaluation and social detachment (CL₃). Clusters and/or nationality significantly differentiated measures of worry for war and climate change, future time perspective, intolerance of uncertainty, and wellbeing, but not the distress scores, by 3 × 2 ANOVAs. Linear regressions showed future time perspective and intolerance of uncertainty as positive and negative predictors of wellbeing respectively, with a significant Views-of-Context dimension, inversely affecting distress scores. Study highlights youths’ latent meanings influence wellbeing and distress, serving as a “starting point” for health promotion interventions sensitive to cultural differences. Full article

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) face severe physical, emotional, and social challenges due to conflict, climate change, and other crises. Ethiopia has the highest number of IDPs in Africa, primarily due to ethnic conflicts and climate-related disasters, placing them at a high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress (anxiety, emotional well-being, and depression, referred to as mental health (MH)). This study examines PTSD’s direct predictive role on IDPs’ (MH) in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia, the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap), and the moderating role of perceived social support (PSS). It also explores the interaction between PSS and PsyCap in the PTSD and MH relationship. A sample of 273 IDPs (129 females, 144 males) was selected using simple random sampling from a total population of 19,349 IDPs. Data were collected using validated instruments, including the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), PsyCap, PSS, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that PTSD significantly and negatively predicts the MH of IDPs. Additionally, PsyCap positively influences their mental well-being and partially mediates the relationship between PTSD and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, PSS moderates the PTSD and MH relationship, reducing its negative impact. The finding concludes that despite PTSD directly predicting the MH of IDPs, PsyCap helps mitigate these effects. Key components of PsyCap, including hope, resilience, self-efficacy, and optimism, buffer the adverse effects of PTSD on MH. IDPs with stronger psychological resources are less likely to experience psychological distress. PSS further weakens PTSD’s negative impact, as individuals with higher PSS are less likely to suffer from trauma-related distress or depression after displacement. This study highlights the importance of PsyCap in enhancing the mental well-being of IDPs. Future research should expand on these findings and explore the integration of PsyCap-based interventions into IDP mental health programs. Strengthening social support can also provide vital support in helping IDPs cope with trauma and improve their overall psychological health. Full article

Background. Climate change is increasingly recognized as a threat to mental health, giving rise to constructs such as eco-anxiety and solastalgia. Although these phenomena have gained attention, quantitative data from European populations remain scarce. Objectives. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of eco-anxiety in an Italian sample, focusing on associations with demographics, environmental disaster exposure, psychological distress, psychosis-risk indicators, and quality of life. Methods. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 1051 participants. Measures included the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16), SF-36 Health Survey, and a socio-demographic/environmental exposure questionnaire. Data were analyzed using correlations, t-tests, and regression analyses. Results. Eco-anxiety was higher among younger participants, women, and individuals without children, while education showed a weak negative association. No differences emerged by rural vs. urban residence. Participants exposed to floods, droughts, wildfires, and landslides reported elevated eco-anxiety. Scores correlated strongly with general distress (r = 0.57), positively with psychosis-risk indicators (PQ-16 distress, r = 0.42), and negatively with quality of life (r = −0.25). Conclusions. Eco-anxiety in Italy is linked to socio-demographic vulnerabilities, disaster exposure, and impaired mental health. These findings highlight eco-anxiety as a pressing public health concern and stress the need for prevention and interventions that promote adaptive coping and engagement with climate change. Full article

Climate change poses a growing threat to the mental health of children and adolescents. This narrative review synthesizes global, interdisciplinary research on the psychological impacts of climate disruption during critical developmental stages, with attention to marginalized populations. We explore three key pathways of harm: direct exposure to environmental disasters, chronic disruption of ecological and social systems, and existential distress such as eco-anxiety. Drawing on eco-social theory and developmental psychopathology, the review highlights how these impacts are shaped by age, geography, identity, and systemic inequities. It identifies both risk and protective factors, emphasizing the importance of caregiving relationships, cultural practices, education, and youth climate engagement. While activism can foster resilience and purpose, it may also incur emotional burdens that require clinical and policy attention. We argue that child and adolescent mental health must be recognized as central to climate justice and adaptation, and we offer urgent recommendations for integrated action across sectors. Full article

Background: Eco-anxiety and solastalgia are psychological responses to environmental degradation and climate change. This study examines how these concepts are represented in Spanish-language digital media, considering both emotional dimensions and the profiles of content producers. Methods: We conducted an inductive qualitative content analysis of 120 Spanish-language items (online news articles and selected posts from digital platforms) published between October 2023 and March 2024. Items were identified using a Boolean search strategy and initially filtered by LIWC to detect high emotional-and-anxiety term density; final coding followed grounded-theory procedures, resulting in four thematic categories. Results: The most frequent theme was environmental activism (41%), followed by catastrophic thinking (29%), coping strategies (25%), and loss of meaningful places (6%). Among content producers, citizen participants represented 40%, youth activists 25%, and scientists 15%. Digital media function both as sources of anxiety-inducing content and as spaces for awareness-raising and support. Conclusions: While eco-anxiety is not a clinical diagnosis, it exerts a significant psychological impact—particularly on youth and vulnerable groups. Spanish-language digital platforms play an ambivalent role, amplifying distress yet enabling resilience and collective action. Future interventions should leverage these channels to foster environmental awareness, emotional resilience, and civic engagement. Full article

Climate change represents a complex and multifaceted challenge for health systems, particularly in the African region, where the research has predominantly focused on physical health impacts while overlooking critical mental health dimensions. Our central hypothesis is that integrating culturally adapted mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into climate resilience frameworks and disaster response planning will significantly reduce psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, and trauma) and enhance adaptive capacities among both mainstream and migrant communities in disaster-prone African regions. This rapid review methodology systematically explores the intricate relationships between climate change, mental health, and migration by examining the existing literature and identifying significant information gaps. The key findings underscore the urgent need for targeted research and strategic interventions that specifically address mental health vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. This review highlights how extreme weather events, environmental disruptions, and forced migration create profound psychological stressors that extend beyond immediate physical health concerns. This research emphasizes the importance of developing comprehensive adaptation strategies integrating mental health considerations into broader climate response frameworks. Recommendations emerging from this assessment call for immediate and focused attention on developing specialized research, policies, and interventions that recognize the unique mental health challenges posed by climate change in African contexts. We also note the current limitations in the existing national adaptation plans, which frequently overlook mental health dimensions, thereby underscoring the necessity of a more holistic and nuanced approach to understanding climate change’s psychological impacts. In this exploratory study, we intended to provide a crucial preliminary assessment of the complex intersections between climate change, mental health, and migration, offering valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and healthcare professionals seeking to develop more comprehensive and responsive strategies in an increasingly challenging environmental landscape. Full article

Climate change poses a significant threat to sustainability and may result in psychological distress, such as climate anxiety, which may play a critical role in influencing pro-environment behaviours. This study aimed to investigate how indirect exposure to environmentally focused imagery may impact pro-environment behaviours and climate anxiety. A total of 283 participants completed our task, with findings indicating that participants who viewed negative environmental imagery had a significant reduction in preference for eco-friendly transportation options compared to participants in other conditions; we saw no significant difference in preference for these participants. When examining the effects of environmental imagery on climate anxiety, we found no significant differences in the level of climate anxiety based on priming condition, indicating that climate anxiety may be more robust to situational events than associated behaviours. This study identifies the potential maladaptive effects of negative climate imagery on pro-environment behaviours and highlights the trait-like nature of climate anxiety. These findings identify the potential for disengagement with behaviour due to negative messaging and imagery associated with climate change and extreme weather events. Future research should explore the long-term stability of climate anxiety and how different forms of exposure to climate change may influence climate anxiety and pro-environment behaviours. Full article

Climate change poses a significant threat to human health, necessitating interdisciplinary approaches to mitigate its effects. Health psychology, with its focus on behavior change and well-being, is uniquely positioned to contribute to climate action. This review examines how health psychology can address climate-related challenges, emphasizing psychological responses to environmental stressors, behavior modification strategies, and public health interventions. The findings indicate that climate change functions as a psychological stressor, contributing to anxiety, depression, and eco-distress. Additionally, behavioral science insights are underutilized in climate governance, despite their potential to drive sustainable actions. Health psychology can enhance climate adaptation by promoting pro-environmental behaviors, fostering resilience, and integrating psychological well-being into policy frameworks. However, barriers such as limited interdisciplinary collaboration and insufficient emphasis on systemic change hinder progress. To maximize impact, health psychologists must engage in climate governance, advocate for policy integration, and address both individual and collective behavior change. Future research should explore the intersection of mental health, climate resilience, and behavior adaptation to develop comprehensive strategies for tackling climate change. This review underscores the urgent need for health psychology to play a more active role in shaping climate policy and fostering sustainable, health-promoting behaviors. Full article

Climate change impacts are unpredictable and can change rapidly or over time; anthropogenic stressors work synergistically to strengthen their impact on vulnerable ecosystems including in the fisheries sector. This study focused on understanding and documenting the historical occurrence of extreme climate change impacts as exemplified by super typhoon Pablo (Bopha), which wreaked havoc in Baganga, Davao Oriental, almost a decade ago. A mixed-methods approach was used, using semi-structured interviews (N = 120) and focus group discussions (FGD) with small-scale fishers in the four fishing villages to assess the impacts of climate change and their adaptation after the events occurred. Our findings indicate that the fishing villages were exposed to the same impacts of climate change or the super typhoon which destroyed their lives and livelihoods. Consequently, this affected their catch per trip and fishing operations. Moreover, due to the impact of the super typhoon, fishers in Baganga developed psychological distress and trauma (emotional 44% and physical 24%) due to the extreme event. To survive, their adaptation strategies relied on government and non-government assistance provisions and projects, e.g., planting mangrove trees, construction of a seawall with wave breakers, cash-for-work activities, and tourism, as an alternative livelihood. Moreover, our study revealed that the communities have limited knowledge about the impacts of climate change, the local government lacks clear management goals for fisheries conservation and there was widespread use of illegal fishing gear. There is a strong need to implement rules, policies, and adaptation measures to build more resilient fishing communities. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13) is a thirteen-item measure of eco-anxiety, with four dimensions: (1) affective symptoms, (2) rumination, (3) behavioural symptoms, and (4) anxiety about personal impact. Being a recently developed questionnaire, data on its psychometrics are limited. The aim of this study was to introduce a Polish version of the HEAS-13 and examine its psychometric properties. Methods: Our sample consisted of 634 Polish-speaking adults, with ages ranging from 18 to 67 years. We assessed the HEAS-13’s factor structure, internal consistency, test–retest reliabilities, and its concurrent validity via relationships with climate-related variables, psychopathology symptoms, and well-being. We put emphasis on examining the discriminant validity of the HEAS-13 against general psychological distress. Results: As expected, the Polish HEAS-13 demonstrated strong factorial validity with an intended four-factor structure. The internal consistency and test–retest reliabilities of the scale were good and moderate, respectively. Higher levels of eco-anxiety were associated with higher environmental concerns, the experience of climate change (i.e., one’s perception of being affected by climate change), pro-environmental behavioural engagement, climate change worry, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as well as lower levels of well-being. We empirically supported the strong discriminant validity of the HEAS-13, demonstrating that eco-anxiety was separable from general psychological distress. We also noted that females, younger people, and those with lower educational levels experienced higher eco-anxiety. To facilitate the use of this measure, we propose a potential screening cut-off value for the HEAS-13, which can indicate meaningfully elevated levels of eco-anxiety. Conclusions: Overall, the Polish version of the HEAS-13 has strong psychometric properties, usefully enabling the examination of climate-related anxiety. Our findings highlight its potential in cross-cultural research and healthcare practice. Full article

Psychological reactions to the climate change (CC) crisis, encompassing worry, distress, and impairment, are influenced by personality. Also, these psychological reactions to CC and future anxiety can impact an individual’s overall psychological distress. The role of perfectionism in psychological distress through CC reactions and future anxiety (FA) has not yet been explored. Our aim was to explore the mediator roles of CC worry, CC distress, CC impairment, and FA in the link between perfectionism and general psychological distress while controlling for the effect of gender. A path analysis was conducted on a sample of 577 adults (mean age = 32.62 ± 14.71) from the general population (64.5% women). The final model with all statistically significant path coefficients (p ≤ 0.01) presented an excellent model fit: χ²(6) = 1.56, p = 0.152; CFI = 0.995; GFI = 0.995; TLI = 0.986; RMSEA = 0.031, CI = 0.000–0.068, p = 0.764. Perfectionism was associated with general PD through several indirect pathways, including CC worry, CC distress, CC impairment, and FA, while controlling for the effect of gender. The model explained 3.89% of CC worry, 39.70% of CC distress, 20.64% of CC impairment, 23.73% of FA, and 20.20% of general PD. These findings suggest that cognitive and emotional responses to CC and future anxiety are exacerbated with higher perfectionism levels, which leads to higher overall psychological distress. These data underscore that individuals with high levels of perfectionism may require help to psychologically adapt to CC. Interventions aimed at lowering the maladaptive cognitive and emotional responses to climate threats should be implemented. Full article

Climate change presents a critical global crisis, characterized by rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and shifting climate patterns. Vulnerable populations bear a disproportionate share of these impacts, with women at heightened risk due to unequal access to resources, decision-making power, and social roles. Postpartum women specifically face further unique challenges as they strive to protect their children, amplifying the psychological toll of climate change. The current study explores climate distress in a sample of 101 postpartum women in Australia (M_age = 31.14 years), whose youngest child was (on average) 5 months of age, examining factors associated with their psychological responses to climate threats. Correlational analyses reveal that perceptions of threat severity (r = 0.621, p ≤ 0.01) and susceptibility (r = 0.695, p ≤ 0.01) are strongly linked to climate distress. These findings highlight the need to further investigate the distinct psychological pathways climate-related anxiety operates through in postpartum women. The study underscores the importance of targeted interventions to support this vulnerable population as they face increasing climate-related stressors. Full article

Climate change evokes many kinds of emotions, which have an impact on people’s behavior. This article focuses on three major climate emotions—guilt, grief, and anger—and other closely related emotional phenomena, such as climate anxiety/distress. The article explores ways in which these emotions could be engaged with constructively in religious communities, with a certain emphasis on Christian, monotheistic, and Buddhist communities. These religious communities have certain special resources for engaging with guilt and grief, but they often have profound difficulty working with constructive anger. The ways in which these emotions can affect each other are probed, and the complex dynamics of climate guilt are given special attention. Based on the work of psychologists Tara Brach and Miriam Greenspan, a four-step method of engaging with these emotions is proposed and discussed: self-reflection, exploration of various forms of these emotions, contextualization, and creative application of various methods to channel the energies in these emotions. The article draws from interdisciplinary research on eco-emotions, religion and ecology studies, and psychology. Full article

Climate Change is a phenomenon that has been increasingly investigated in the literature from a psychological perspective for its impact on mental health, particularly that of young adults who, already affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, are highly worried about it. Despite this, few studies have been conducted in the Mediterranean region, especially in southern Italy, and little consideration has been given to the role of other variables in the relationship between environmental emotions and mental health. The present study aims to explore the relationship between Climate Change Worry and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in a sample of 283 Italian young adults (age range 18–25; M = 21.3; SD = 1.7) from Southern Italy (91% from Campania), examining the mediating effect that Intolerance of Uncertainty and Future Anxiety have on the target. At the same time, it endeavors to explore the joint effect of the two mediators in the relationship between Climate Change Worry and Psychological Distress. Findings highlighted that Climate Change Worry had a significant positive effect on Anxiety and Stress levels and positively influenced Intolerance of Uncertainty and Future Anxiety; the latter two also increased the impact of Climate Change Worry on Psychological Distress, acting as vulnerability factors in all parallel mediation models performed and, specifically, in the fully mediated Depression model. Furthermore, the findings of the serial model corroborated the joint effect of the two mediators and highlighted how young adults with higher levels of Climate Change Worry experienced more Intolerance of Uncertainty, which positively influenced Future Anxiety levels and, in turn, exacerbated the Global Psychological Distress. Finally, levels of Psychological Distress, Climate Change Worry, and Future Anxiety were significantly higher in women. To conclude, exploring the indirect pathways through which negative environmental emotions affect Psychological Distress seems to be a fertile research area to study in more depth the impact of the climate crisis on new generations. Full article