Gender Differences in Climate Change Anxiety

Closson, Kalysha; Card, Kiffer G.; Logi, Carmen; Aran, Niloufar; Sachal, Abhay Singh; Bratu, Andreea; Marshall, Carly; Hu, Alexi  T.; Takaro, Tim K.; Kennedy, Angel; Clayton, Susan; Samji, Hasina; Martin, Gina; Gislason, Maya; Hogg, Robert S.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4168583

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…High climate distress was more likely among women and gender-diverse individuals. These findings align with other studies reporting demographic variation in climate distress or related concepts such as eco-anxiety [ 44 – 46 ]. Further investigation into the mechanisms that underpin these individual-level vulnerabilities is crucial.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen,

Oswald,

Lawrance

2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Although the UK has been relatively spared significant geophysical impacts of climate change, many people, youth in particular, are increasingly worried about climate change. The psychological distress associated with the (perceived) threat of climate change has been linked to poorer mental wellbeing but can also promote adaptive responses such as engagement in pro-environmental behaviour. In this mixed methods study, we delve deeper into the experience of ‘climate distress’ among UK residents aged 16–24 (N = 539). We conducted an online survey assessing general mental health, subjective wellbeing, and climate distress with existing scales. We also included novel questions assessing positive and negative life impacts of climate change, open-ended questions on aspirations and priorities for the future, and engagement in pro-environmental and climate actions. Our findings indicate that mental health factors may contribute to vulnerability to climate distress. Predictably, socio-psychological responses to climate change (i.e., frustration over inaction, lack of control, and shame or guilt about one’s own contributions) were linked to higher scores on the climate distress scale. Negatively appraised climate change-related events (i.e., seeing an environment they care about change for the worse) were associated with higher climate distress. Individuals with high climate distress (10.1% of our sample) reported worrying about the impact of climate change on their own future more frequently than any other topic surveyed (including personal finance, career, relationships, politics). Both positive (hope/interest) and negative (anger/frustration) emotions inspired action-taking, especially climate activism, which was negatively predicted by guilt/shame and sadness/fear. Private-sphere pro-environmental actions appeared less driven by strong emotions. Overall, our findings present a more nuanced picture of climate distress in terms of emotional responses, behaviour, and mental health. Longitudinal research is urgently needed to understand how distress may change over time, and the conditions that lead to adaptive and maladaptive outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen,

Oswald,

Lawrance

2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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“…Individuals who were currently experiencing a mental health condition were more likely to report moderate to high climate distress. Demographic variation is commonly found in studies on climate distress or related concepts such as eco-anxiety (41)(42)(43). While these factors are of interest for further study and in the context of providing appropriate care and support, arguably, priority might be given to clarifying the association with mental health and wellbeing outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen¹,

Lawrance²,

Oswald³

2023

Preprint

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In this mixed methods study, which complements an earlier publication (https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00172-3), we delve deeper into the experience of ‘climate distress’ among UK residents aged 16-24 (N=539). We report on data collected from an online survey assessing general mental health, subjective wellbeing, and climate distress using existing psychometric scales. We also included novel questions assessing positive and negative life impacts of climate change, open-ended questions on aspirations and priorities for the future, and engagement in pro-environmental and climate actions. In addition to quantitative results, we analysed free-text responses to two open-ended questions about respondents' hopes for the future, and their experience with climate change and actions in response to it.

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“…Sensitivity analyses, conducted by removing 19 outlier studies, returned similar results to the 57-effect meta-analysis (r = -.242, 95% CI [-.270; -.215], p < .001, I 2 = 71.7%). Only one study (Closson et al, 2022) emerged as both an outlier and an influential case. This study was retained in the analyses, despite its high relative weight, because its removal did not result in statistically significant changes to either the pooled effect size or the heterogeneity score.…”

Section: Sensitivity Analyses and Publication Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

A meta-analysis on the relationship between climate anxiety and wellbeing

Gago,

Sargisson,

Milfont

2023

Preprint

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Climate anxiety refers to the negative emotional reactions that a person can experience in response to climate change irrespective of prior direct experience with it. Research suggests this emotional reaction ranges from successful coping and adaptation to clinical-level psychological impairment. The Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) was designed to measure a person’s level of climate anxiety impairment. However, inconsistent results when testing the relationship between CCAS scores and psychological wellbeing measures have raised questions about the scale’s validity and usefulness for assessing climate change’s mental health impacts. Our goal was to quantitatively measure the direction and strength of the correlations between climate anxiety (as indexed by the CCAS) and measures of psychological wellbeing. We identified 25 studies and 60 effect sizes for inclusion, and meta-analytic results indicated a strong negative correlation between overall CCAS scores and psychological wellbeing (r = -.296, 95% CI [-.360; -.230], p < .001). The meta-analytic estimates were consistent across CCAS subscales and diagnosis-specific measures of wellbeing. Multilevel meta-regressions used to estimate the influence of potential moderators indicated that the correlations were stronger when the sample’s mean level of environmental identity was higher, and when a measure indicative of mental unwellness was used. We discuss implications for the nature of the relationship between climate anxiety and psychological wellbeing in general, and for the use of the CCAS in clinical and broader contexts.

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Gender Differences in Climate Change Anxiety

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

A meta-analysis on the relationship between climate anxiety and wellbeing

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