The influence of environmental crisis perception and trait anxiety on the level of eco-worry and climate anxiety

The impact of climate change anxiety on premenstrual syndrome: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Climate change is thought to have possible effects on changes in the menstruation process, which covers an important period of time in women's lives. Our study aimed to determine the impact of climate change anxiety on premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women of reproductive age.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study. The research was conducted online using various digital platforms between December 2023 and February 2024. This study was conducted on 456 women of reproductive age. The Personal Information Form, PMS Scale and Eco-Anxiety Scale were used for the data collection. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The prevalence of PMS was 44.7%. The average score for the Eco-Anxiety Scale was 27.28 ± 6.44. A significant majority of participants (81.4%) stated that climate change would affect women's health, and 81.1% thought that they were affected by climate change. The Eco-Anxiety Scale scores were higher in women with PMS (p < 0.05). The results of the binary logistic regression analysis showed that being affected by climate change (odds ratio [OR] = 2.109, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.045-4.259, p = 0.035), age at menarche (OR = 1.249, 95% Cl = 1.073-1.453, p = 0.004) and Eco-Anxiety Scale scores were significant predictors of PMS (OR = 0.828, 95% Cl = 0.791-0.867, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The results of our study showed that women with PMS had higher Eco-Anxiety Scale scores. Given the global effects of climate change, it is important to investigate its effects as a risk factor for the emergence of PMS. Furthermore, women's healthcare providers play an important and beneficial role in adapting to a changing climate; these efforts will have long-term impacts.

Climate Change and Mental Health

Climate change negatively threatens mental health through acute, chronic, indirect, and vicarious pathways. Though these psychological consequences will be felt globally, specific populations are at increased risk. This article describes the complex and diverse ways in which climate change can affect mental health and the resulting challenges that health care services will inevitably face. In responding to these threats, both prevention and intervention are urgently needed. Although mitigating the extent of climate change is crucial, we can also foster resilience to climate change-the ability to manage, respond to, and prepare for climate-related adversity-at the systemic, community, and individual levels. The mental health field must prepare for the significant burden that climate change will place on population health and well-being in the long term. In this review, we aim to inform and provide examples of how decision makers, the mental health discipline, and mental health professionals can respond.

Climate Anxiety and COPD: Unveiling Its Impact on Patients' Quality of Life Through a Multivariate Lens

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impact of climate anxiety on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with COPD. It also explores how climate anxiety interacts with clinical factors, such as disease severity and comorbidities, to influence QoL.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

METHODS

A total of 270 COPD patients were recruited using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected through structured interviews and clinical assessments, incorporating the Climate Anxiety Scale, the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire and the BODE Index. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of QoL.

RESULTS

The study found a statistically significant association between climate anxiety and both QoL (r = 0.81, p < 0.01) and COPD severity (r = 0.76, p < 0.01). COPD severity (B = 4.68, p < 0.01) and climate anxiety (B = 0.28, p < 0.01) were predictors of QoL. Among the covariates, former smokers, older patients and multiple comorbidities reported significantly worse QoL (B = 4.80, p = 0.03; B = 0.43, p < 0.01; B = 0.85, p = 0.02, respectively). Collectively all predictors explained 86% of the variance in QoL.

CONCLUSION

Climate anxiety significantly contributes to reduced QoL in COPD patients, beyond disease severity and demographic factors. Addressing psychological distress in COPD management is essential to improving patient outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Nurses should recognise climate anxiety as a key variable influencing COPD management. Incorporating climate anxiety screening into nursing assessments and providing targeted interventions can enhance patient support and improve overall COPD care.

IMPACT

Climate anxiety is an emerging concern in COPD. While previous research has focused on physical and clinical determinants of COPD-related QoL, climate anxiety remains underexplored. This study provides new evidence that climate anxiety is a predictor of poorer QoL, highlighting the need for holistic nursing interventions that address both physical and psychological health.

REPORTING METHOD

This study was reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Patients with COPD were involved in this study.

Eco-anxiety or simply eco-worry? Incremental validity study in a representative Spanish sample

Scientific literature is keen to promote the study of eco-anxiety despite its current low prevalence and inconsistent relationships with pro-environmental behavior and mental health. In this paper, we analyze in a representative sample of the Spanish population (N = 1911) the incremental validity of the eco-worry construct concerning that of eco-anxiety at three levels of environmental commitment: high (environmental activists), medium (people who are not part of any environmental organization but who would like to), and low (people who neither belong to environmental groups nor want to). Our results showed that (1) the environmental activists in our sample did not seem to be eco-anxious but rather eco-worried, and (2) at the three levels of environmental commitment, eco-worry but not eco-anxiety positively mediated the relationship between climate change perception and general willingness for environmental behavior, and eco-worry, but not eco-anxiety, positively connected with life satisfaction through the general willingness to behave pro-environmentally. It is concluded that eco-anxiety does not add anything to the more intuitive and non-pathological concept of eco-worry, except for the alarm signal, which is not at all strategic when the goal is to promote individual pro-environmental behaviors and collective social actions.

Normative data and comprehensive psychometric evaluation of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale in a large Italian sample

As the climate crisis intensifies, its impact on mental health becomes more apparent, leading to psychological distress such as eco-anxiety. Driven by growing scientific interest, standardized assessment tools for evaluating eco-anxiety are gaining traction. This study comprehensively validates the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS) on a large sample of nearly 1300 participants across Italy and four generations. The scores obtained using the Italian HEAS demonstrate excellent reliability and support valid inferences regarding eco-anxiety levels. The original four-factor structure of the scale was upheld. Nonetheless, the scale proved to be reliable also in terms of a unique factor. Internal consistency was satisfactory, but stability over three months was not confirmed. The overall HEAS score was linked to pro-environmental behavior and reduced meat consumption. Additionally, the scale effectively identifies individuals engaged in public pro-environmental actions. Normative data were provided for age, gender, and education levels. These findings confirmed and extended the HEAS's validity and reliability, highlighting the importance of standardized assessment tools in this burgeoning research field and in clinical practice. Further exploration of its diagnostic efficacy in clinical settings for eco-anxiety detection is suggested.

Exploring the relationship between eco-anxiety and suicide risk in adolescents with mental health disorders: insights from a cross-sectional observational study

Introduction

A limited number of studies have explored the connection between eco-anxiety, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. However, the relation between eco-anxiety and suicide remains unexamined. This cross-sectional observational study aims to bridge this gap by investigating the correlation between eco-anxiety intensity and suicide risk severity in adolescents.

Methods

We used validated French versions of the Climate Anxiety Scale (CAS) and its two key dimensions (cognitive and emotional and functional impairments), alongside the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD).

Results

Our study involved 87 hospitalized adolescent patients, aged 12-16. Although, the univariate model indicated a significant association between the CAS and the C-SSRS (β = 2.58; p = 0.049), the cognitive/emotional difficulties and functional impairment dimensions of eco-anxiety, considering different confounding factors, did not show statistical associations with the severity of suicide risk (respectively, p = 0.81 and p = 0.76).

Discussion

In an expansive literature, these results show for the first time that eco-anxiety may not be the priority of adolescents seen by adolescent psychiatrists. Such an observation would imply not overmedicalizing a dimension of life which perhaps does not fall solely within the field of medicine, but which concerns environmental issues broader than medical field. However, an ethical and prudent approach in mental health care for this particularly fragile population remains necessary. This intersection of eco-anxiety and suicide in youth opens up new avenues of research in the realm of environmental and mental health studies.

Climate change anxiety and its association with somatic symptom distress and idiopathic environmental intolerances: A cross-sectional study

CONTEXT

Individuals need greater climate change awareness in order to mitigate and adapt to climate changes but this awareness can lead to negative health outcomes including climate change anxiety.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the associations between climate change anxiety, idiopathic environmental intolerances and somatic symptom distress, after accounting for modern health worries, anxiety and depression.

METHODS

A non-representative sample of healthy volunteers completed a cross-sectional online survey that included the Climate Change Anxiety scale (CCA-13), single questions about idiopathic intolerance to five environmental agents, the Somatic Symptoms scale (SSS-8), the Modern Health Worries scale (MHW-12), and the Patient Health Questionnaire for symptoms of anxiety and depression (PHQ-4). Participants also reported their sex, age and subjective socioeconomic status. Bivariate analyses investigated associations between variables and path analyses explored potential mediating factors.

RESULTS

432 participants completed the questionnaire, 421 of whom were included in analyses (67 % women, mean age: 32.7 standard deviation: 12.4). Climate change anxiety, idiopathic environmental intolerances, somatic symptom distress, modern health worries, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were positively correlated in bivariate analyses (Pearson's ranging from 0.22 to 0.57, all p < 0.001). In path analyses, modern health worries (R2 = 9.9 %) partially mediated the relation between climate change anxiety (R2 = 20.3 %) and two correlated outcome variables, idiopathic environmental intolerances (R2 = 36.8 %) and somatic symptom distress (R2 = 32.4 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Climate change anxiety may negatively affect perceived physical health. Stakeholders should aim at promoting climate change awareness while addressing modern health worries to avoid negative health outcomes.

The relationship between climate change and mental health: a systematic review of the association between eco-anxiety, psychological distress, and symptoms of major affective disorders

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The adverse impacts of climate change on mental health is a burgeoning area, although findings are inconsistent. The emerging concept of eco-anxiety represents distress in relation to climate change and may be related to mental health. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between eco-anxiety with validated mental health outcomes, specifically psychological distress and symptoms of major affective disorders.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHODS

EBSCO, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases were searched to February 2024 for studies of adult samples quantifying eco-anxiety (exposure, i.e. fear, worry or anxiety in relation to climate change) and symptoms of psychological distress and major affective disorders (outcomes), as assessed by validated measures.

RESULTS

Full text review of 83 studies was performed, and k = 35 studies were included in the review (N = 45 667, 61% female, Mage 31.2 years). Consistently, eco-anxiety showed small to large positive correlations with mental health outcomes of psychological distress, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress symptoms. However, results regarding post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and pathological worry were mixed. Stronger associations were observed where eco-anxiety was operationalised as 'anxiety' rather than 'worry'.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings underscore that eco-anxiety is related to psychological burden. Greater consideration of eco-anxiety in assessment and treatment is needed in clinical practice and further policy development is warranted at the intersection of climate and health to address the mental health challenges posed by climate change.

Climate Anxiety: Current Evidence and Future Directions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Challenging cognitive, somatic, and behavioral responses to climate change are often conceptualized as climate anxiety (CA). Due to the increased recognition of the impacts of climate change on mental health, a growing body of scientific literature is developing. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the current evidence base for CA and propose future research needs for this emerging construct.

RECENT FINDINGS

Early evidence supports underlying psychological mechanisms in the development and maintenance of CA, which are similar to other anxiety-related conditions. However, the study of CA poses unique challenges to researchers. The psychological impacts that occur in the context of climate change may be adaptive depending on the imminent threat of natural disasters, forced migration, or other climate-related challenges. Due to the potentially adaptive nature of CA and limited current evidence, a coordinated research program of climate-related distress is necessary. A review of the extant literature identified current gaps in understanding the epidemiology and individual differences that promote CA. Current evidence supports the prominent role of neuroticism, intolerance of uncertainty, and rumination. The development of evidence-based models of climate-related distress may provide a more valid and comprehensive depiction of the impacts of climate change on mental health. Transdiagnostic treatment methods are likely the most appropriate intervention for climate-related distress. As models, measures, and treatments of climate-related distress are developed, it is crucial to incorporate studies of populations most at risk for climate change-related mental health effects.

Detecting climate anxiety in therapy through natural language processing

A well-documented consequence of global warming is increased psychological distress and climate anxiety, but data gaps limit action. While climate anxiety garners attention, its expression in therapy remains unexplored. Natural language processing (NLP) models can identify climate discussions in therapy, aiding therapists and informing training. This study analyzed 32,542 therapy sessions provided by 849 therapists to 7,916 clients in U.S. behavioral health programs between July 2020 and December 2022, yielding 1,722,273 labeled therapist-client micro-dialogues. Climate- and weather-related topics constituted a mere 0.3% of the sessions. Clients exhibiting higher levels of depressive or anxiety symptoms were less likely to discuss weather and climate compared to those with mild or no symptoms. Findings suggest that although global warming is known to impact mental health, these issues are not yet adequately addressed in psychotherapy. This study suggests a potential gap between the documented mental health concerns associated with climate change and their representation in psychotherapy. NLP models can provide valuable feedback to therapists and assist in identifying key moments and conversational topics to inform training and improve the effectiveness of therapy sessions.

From negative feelings to impairments: A longitudinal study on the development of climate change anxiety

People may experience anxiety and related distress when they come in contact with climate change (i.e., climate change anxiety). Climate change anxiety can be conceptualized as either emotional-based response (the experience of anxiety-related emotions) or impairment-based response (the experience of impairment in daily functioning). To date, it remains uncertain how these distinct manifestations of climate change anxiety are related. Conceptually, the experience of climate change anxiety may transform from an adaptive and healthy emotional response to an impairment in daily functioning. We conducted two two-wave longitudinal studies to examine the possible bidirectional relationships between three manifestations of climate change anxiety. We recruited 942 adults (mean age = 43.1) and 683 parents (mean age = 46.2) in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. We found that Time 1 emotion-based response was positively linked to Time 2 cognitive-emotional impairment, while Time 1 cognitive-emotional impairment was positively related to Time 2 functional impairment. In Study 2, we also found a bidirectional positive relationship between generalized anxiety and emotion-based climate change anxiety over time. Overall, our findings provide initial support to the temporal relationships between different manifestations of climate change anxiety, corroborating that climate change anxiety may develop from emotional responses to impairment in functioning.

Relationship between nursing students' global climate change awareness, climate change anxiety and sustainability attitudes in nursing: a descriptive and cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

As a major global health threat, climate change is an important issue for nurses who play a pivotal role in health protection and improvement, and in the development of climate-smart healthcare systems. Sustainability attitudes in nursing should be developed together with awareness and concern for climate change.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nursing students' global climate change awareness, climate change anxiety, and sustainability attitudes in nursing.

METHODS

This descriptive, correlational study was conducted with 289 nursing students at a state university. Data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale, the Climate Change Anxiety Scale, and the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey. Mean and percentage distributions, the Independent Samples t-test, ANOVA test, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The STROBE checklist was used to report this study.

RESULTS

Global climate change awareness of the nursing students was at a moderate level, and the levels of climate change anxiety and sustainability attitudes in nursing were above average. There was determined to be a moderate positive correlation between climate change awareness and sustainability attitude in nursing, between anxiety and sustainability attitude in nursing, and between climate change awareness and anxiety. Climate change awareness and anxiety explained 25.1% of the sustainability attitude in nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides evidence of the relationship between nursing students' global climate change awareness and anxiety, and sustainability attitudes in nursing. It can be recommended that climate change and sustainability awareness-raising content are integrated into the nursing curriculum. The development of a sustainability attitude in nursing will contribute to the development of sustainable and low-carbon healthcare practices.

The relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behavior in adolescents: the mediating role of future self-continuity and the moderating role of green self-efficacy

BACKGROUND

Climate change is seriously affecting human survival and development, and the anxiety caused by it is becoming increasingly prominent. How to alleviate people's climate change anxiety, improve the ecological environment, and promote the formation of green lifestyles among people, especially young people, is an important topic that deserves to be explored. This study examined the relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors and the underlying psychological mechanism in the adolescents.

METHODS

This study explored the crucial role of future self-continuity (FSC) between climate change anxiety (CCA) and pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) in adolescents and examined the moderating role of green self-efficacy (GSE). In this study, a total of 1,851 middle and high school students from five schools were selected for questionnaire survey.

RESULTS

The results showed that (1) in both middle and high school grades, there was a significant negative correlation between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors; future self-continuity was significantly positively correlated with pro-environmental behaviors; green self-efficacy was negatively correlated with climate change anxiety and positively correlated with pro-environmental behaviors; (2) climate change anxiety negatively predicted pro-environmental behaviors, and compared with middle school grades, high school grade adolescents' climate change anxiety was significantly predicted pro-environmental behaviors. Future self-continuity mediated the relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors in both grades. (3) green self-efficacy moderated the second half of the pathway of the mediation model only in middle grades. Specifically in middle school, future self-continuity did not significantly predict pro-environmental behaviors at low green self-efficacy level, but positively predicted pro-environmental behaviors at high green self-efficacy level. In high school, future self-continuity did not significantly predict pro-environmental behaviors in either high or low green self-efficacy level.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that there is a moderated mediation model between adolescents' climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors, with different mediating and moderating effects among adolescents in various grades. This is of great significance in alleviating climate anxiety among adolescents and cultivating their pro-environmental behaviors.

Climate change on the brain: Neural correlates of climate anxiety

Climate change is a global crisis impacting individuals' mental health. Climate anxiety is an emerging area of interest within popular culture and the scientific community. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms underlying climate anxiety. We provide evidence that climate anxiety is related to gray matter volume in the midcingulate cortex as well as its level of functional connectivity with the insula cortex. These neuroanatomical and neurofunctional features of climate anxiety are involved in identifying and anticipating potential threats within the environment and preparing an appropriate action response to such threats. These neural correlates align with those observed in anxiety disorders. Yet, climate anxiety itself as well as the neural correlates of climate anxiety were related to pro-environmental behavior. This may suggest that the midcingulate and insula are part of a network linked to an adaptive aspect of climate anxiety in motivating behavioral engagement.