The Continuum of Eco-Anxiety Responses: A Preliminary Investigation of Its Nomological Network

Abstract

In the face of mounting environmental issues, people around the world are reporting the experience of difficult emotions such as anxiety and worry, or what is increasingly referred to as eco-anxiety. It is often acknowledged that symptoms of eco-anxiety can range in severity or fall along a continuum. Such a proposition has important implications, as it may help to explain why some forms of eco-anxiety are more mal(adaptive) than others. In five studies (Total N = 2939) across three countries (Canada, China, United Kingdom), we examined how measures that may encompass a continuum of environment-related worry and anxiety were associated with each other and with measures of environmental concern, an older concept that may capture the less severe end of eco-anxiety responses. We also explored if these various measures were differentially linked to aspects of mental health and a pro-environmental orientation. Results revealed that measures of eco-anxiety and environmental concern were often moderately-strongly correlated. Eco-anxiety measures exhibited relatively consistent relationships with greater ill-being but mixed relationships with indices of well-being. There was some evidence of more severe eco-anxiety measures being associated with poorer mental health and environmental concern measures being associated with better mental health. Measures of both eco-anxiety and environmental concern evidenced larger and more consistent relationships with indices of a pro-environmental orientation, with the most severe eco-anxiety measure exhibiting some notably weaker relationships. Together, the present work provides preliminary insights into the nomological network of the continuum of eco-anxiety responses and its integration into future work on eco-anxiety.

The Beyond-Human Natural World: Providing Meaning and Making Meaning

“…Along this line of investigation, it would be interesting to examine the relationship between eco-anxiety and meaning in life. Limited research exists in this area at this point, and what research does exist has provided inconsistent findings [ 149 , 150 ]. Moderating variables could be explored to assess if the relationship between eco-anxiety and meaning in life (in general and its components) depends upon levels of nature connectedness and/or degree of engagement in pro-nature activities.…”

Is conservative opposition to climate change threat‐based? Articulating an integrated threat model of climate change attitudes

“…Additional challenges include that the proposed model does not address the possibility that perceived threat from climate change is a manifestation of climate change denial. Indeed, low climate concern is strongly correlated with climate change denial (Lutz et al., 2023), and conceptualization of denial often includes dismissive beliefs about the seriousness of climate change (Clarke et al., 2019; Jylhä, 2016). Furthermore, for ideological threat research more broadly, the directionality between threat perceptions and adoption of SDO and RWA is still unclear.…”

Measuring Planetary Eco-Emotions: A Systematic Review of Currently Available Instruments and Their Psychometric Properties

“…22,27 Yet disagreements regarding the definition of this concept continue 14 implying that the understanding of these phenomena is still in the process of development. 28 Other concepts that encapsulate some eco-emotions are also found in the literature, such as eco-coping, eco-concern, and eco-uncertainty (Box 1).…”