A Scoping Review of Interventions for the Treatment of Eco-Anxiety

Abstract

As climate change worsens and public awareness of its grave impact increases, individuals are increasingly experiencing distressing mental health symptoms which are often grouped under the umbrella term of eco-anxiety. Clear guidance is needed to enable mental health professionals to make informed choices of appropriate interventions and approaches in their eco-anxiety treatment plans. A scoping review was conducted to examine the current understanding of eco-anxiety and related intervention options and recommendations. The review included 34 records, 13 of which reflected specific psychological approaches. A thematic analysis of the content of the selected records yielded five major themes across interventions for individual and group treatment of eco-anxiety: practitioners’ inner work and education, fostering clients’ inner resilience, encouraging clients to take action, helping clients find social connection and emotional support by joining groups, and connecting clients with nature. Recommendations for treatment plans are to focus on holistic, multi-pronged, and grief-informed approaches that include eco-anxiety focused group work.

Understanding the Spectrum of Anxiety Responses to Climate Change: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Literature

“…Clinical presentations related to climate change anxiety have not been well elucidated, although they have been recognised in psychotherapeutic spaces [ 65 ] and at an obsessive compulsive disorder treatment clinic [ 66 ]. The treatment of eco-anxiety, a closely related concept, is an emerging area of research [ 67 ]. Evidence of clinical symptoms of anxiety emerged as a small but important theme in this review of the qualitative literature.…”

“…People who screen positive for climate change anxiety may benefit from intervention. However, there is a dearth of literature guiding approaches to its management [ 67 ]. A recent scoping review highlighted emerging approaches to treating eco-anxiety, including both individual and group work, predominantly underpinned by ecotherapy, psychoanalysis, and Jungian depth psychology [ 67 ].…”

“…However, there is a dearth of literature guiding approaches to its management [ 67 ]. A recent scoping review highlighted emerging approaches to treating eco-anxiety, including both individual and group work, predominantly underpinned by ecotherapy, psychoanalysis, and Jungian depth psychology [ 67 ]. Notably, only two of the reviewed studies empirically evaluated their psychotherapeutic approach, emphasizing the need for more study [ 67 ].…”

On climate anxiety and the threat it may pose to daily life functioning and adaptation: A study among European and African French-speaking participants

“…Second, mental health practitioners should carefully audit and follow-up climate anxiety in their practice. Although clinical research on climate anxiety is still at an early stage, research has pointed to treatment options tapping into the nature contact and connectedness as up-and-coming tools to alleviate climate anxiety and foster adaptation to climate change (for a review, see Baudon & Jachens, 2021). Moreover, research has also emphasized empowerment-that is, encouraging people with climate anxiety to engage in conservation actions-as an option to mitigate climate anxiety and foster adaptation (e.g., Baudon & Jachens, 2021;Cunsolo et al, 2020).…”

Climate anxiety, pro-environmental action and wellbeing: antecedents and outcomes of negative emotional responses to climate change in 28 countries

“…Engagement in pro-environmental action is one of the most widely advocated strategies for alleviating the negative psychological impacts of climate anxiety (Baudon & Jachens, 2021), but our findings highlight the need to consider situational barriers to channelling negative emotions into climate action. Beliefs or feelings about climate change more readily translate to pro-environmental action among privileged groups, such as people with high socioeconomic status (Eom et al, 2018).…”