Eco-anxiety among Children and Young People: Systematic Review of Social, Political, and Geographical determinants

Abstract

BackgroundEco-anxiety, the experience of challenging emotions relating to environmental issues, such as climate change, and the threats they present, is of increasing global public health concern. Although responses to eco-anxiety can be positive and motivational, experienced to a severe extent, they may contribute to depressive and anxiety disorders, exacerbate existing mental health conditions and negatively impact general wellbeing. Children and young people may be more susceptible to higher levels eco-anxiety, but the factors which contribute to eco-anxiety are not well-understood. This systematic review explored the social, political and geographical factors influencing eco-anxiety among children and young people.MethodsA comprehensive search of articles published between 2017-2023 was conducted on using EBSCOhost for APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EconLit, GreenFILE, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SocINDEX, with additional individual searches conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar, MedRxiv and PsyArxiv. The quality of included articles was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Checklist. The findings were summarised using a narrative synthesis approach.ResultsEighteen studies were included in the synthesis after screening 2,588 articles. Determinants in three major categories were identified: social (including age, gender, socioeconomic position, education, news and social media), political (climate activism, government inaction and sense of betrayal), and geographical factors (direct exposure to climate change-related events and country/region). Nine studies were cross-sectional, five were qualitative, three were mixed methods and one was longitudinal. Most studies were from high-income countries, particularly Australia, New Zealand and Norway. Studies were of variable methodological quality, using different measurement approaches to eco-anxiety and most surveys were conducted online using non-representative samples.ConclusionEco-anxiety is influenced by a range of social, political, and geographical factors. Governments and the mass media could play an important role in preventing eco-anxiety becoming of clinical concern. Given the lack of high-quality studies in this area, further research is essential to better understand the determinants of eco-anxiety across cultures to help minimize its impact on mental health and wellbeing and ensure it is channeled positively.