Investigating the impact of climate change on mental health among Libyan Arabs: a validation study of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale

Abstract

Anxiety, especially within the realm of eco-anxiety, has become an increasingly significant focus of research. In our exploration of eco-anxiety within the Arab Libyan population, we employed a cross-sectional approach and successfully validated the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13). Across two separate subsamples, both Exploratory (n = 790) [M = 21.64 (SD = 3.51), % women = 86.8] and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n = 829) [M = 22.24 (SD = 3.76), % women = 84.6] confirmed the validity of HEAS-13. This scale effectively captured four distinct dimensions of eco-anxiety: affective symptoms, rumination, behavioral symptoms, and anxiety regarding one’s negative impact on the planet. Moreover, the total HEAS-13 and its dimensions had good internal consistency coefficients, ranging from 0.65 to 0.82. The findings highlight significant correlations between eco-anxiety subscales, behavioral symptoms, and rumination, indicating distinct profiles of eco-anxiety. Additionally structural equation modelling analysis revealed that eco-anxiety dimensions serve as a significant predictor of various psychological symptoms, climate change perception and climate value, emphasizing the interconnectedness between eco-anxiety and psychological distress. Furthermore, Sex-specific differences in eco-anxiety and its associations with climate change perceptions are explored, suggesting heightened awareness and involvement among females. The results emphasize eco-anxiety as a quantifiable psychological phenomenon, demonstrably measured through our 13-item eco-anxiety scale and associated with the mental health outcomes.