International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Research

16 pages, 860 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Climate Change Beliefs on Youths’ Engagement in Energy-Conservation Behavior: The Mediating Mechanism of Environmental Concerns

by Ping Han, Zepeng Tong, Yan Sun and Xuefeng Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7222; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127222 - 13 Jun 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4395

Abstract

Global climate change presents a profound threat to the survival and continued development of humanity. The present study featured a survey of 3005 adolescents in China on 13 December 2021, aiming to determine whether climate change beliefs (including recognition of the existence of [...] Read more.

Global climate change presents a profound threat to the survival and continued development of humanity. The present study featured a survey of 3005 adolescents in China on 13 December 2021, aiming to determine whether climate change beliefs (including recognition of the existence of climate change, cognition of the causes of climate change, and climate change risk perception) influence their engagement in energy-conservation behaviors. Concurrently, the psychological mechanism underlying the influence of environmental concerns on the above relationship was also tested. The results showed that, among youths, climate change belief positively predicts engagement in energy-conservation behaviors. Specifically, awareness of the existence of climate change, knowledge of the causes of climate change, and climate change risk perception all positively predict engagement in energy-conservation behaviors. Further, environmental concerns were found to play a mediating role in the relationship between climate change beliefs and energy-conservation actions. From a practical perspective, the government and education departments should guide young people to develop accurate perceptions of climate change, and should raise their awareness of energy conservation and social responsibility, which should lead to their development of energy-conservation habits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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17 pages, 519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying Types of Eco-Anxiety, Eco-Guilt, Eco-Grief, and Eco-Coping in a Climate-Sensitive Population: A Qualitative Study

by Csilla Ágoston, Benedek Csaba, Bence Nagy, Zoltán Kőváry, Andrea Dúll, József Rácz and Zsolt Demetrovics

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(4), 2461; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042461 - 21 Feb 2022

Cited by 79 | Viewed by 20706

Abstract

Background: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and it can affect mental health either directly through the experience of environmental traumas or indirectly through the experience of emotional distress and anxiety about the future. However, it is [...] Read more.

Background: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and it can affect mental health either directly through the experience of environmental traumas or indirectly through the experience of emotional distress and anxiety about the future. However, it is not clear what possible subtypes of the emerging “psychoterratic” syndromes such as eco-anxiety, eco-guilt, and eco-grief exist, how much distress they may cause, and to what extent they facilitate ecofriendly behavior. Methods: We analyzed semi-structured interviews (N = 17) focusing on the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to climate change by using a combination of inductive and deductive qualitative methods. Results and conclusions: The interviews revealed six eco-anxiety components, eight types of eco-guilt, and two types of eco-grief that help to understand the multifactorial nature of these phenomena. The six categories of coping strategies are in line with traditional coping models, and they are linked in various ways to pro-environmental behavior and the management of negative emotions. The results can help practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of emotions related to climate change and how to cope with them, and researchers to develop comprehensive measurement tools to assess these emotions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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11 pages, 352 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Media Exposure to Climate Change, Anxiety, and Efficacy Beliefs in a Sample of Italian University Students

by Daniela Acquadro Maran and Tatiana Begotti

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9358; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179358 - 4 Sep 2021

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 10199

Abstract

The climate crisis poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of individuals. For many, climate change knowledge is derived from indirect exposure to information transmitted through the media. Such content can elicit a variety of emotional responses, including anger, sadness, despair, [...] Read more.

The climate crisis poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of individuals. For many, climate change knowledge is derived from indirect exposure to information transmitted through the media. Such content can elicit a variety of emotional responses, including anger, sadness, despair, fear, and guilt. Worry and anxiety are especially common responses, usually referred to as “climate anxiety”. The main objectives of this study were to analyze how exposure to climate change through the media relates to climate anxiety and individual and collective self-efficacy, and to evaluate the relationship between climate anxiety and efficacy beliefs. A total of 312 Italian university students (aged 18–26 years) participated in the research by filling out an anonymous questionnaire. Participants reported being exposed several times per week to information about climate change, especially from social media, newspapers, and television programs. Moreover, the results showed that the attention paid to information about climate change was not only positively related to climate anxiety, but also to individual and collective self-efficacy. Most notably, participants’ efficacy beliefs were found to be positively related to climate anxiety. This somewhat controversial finding stresses that, in the context of pro-environmental behavior changes, a moderate level of anxiety could engender feelings of virtue, encouraging people to rethink actions with negative ecological impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

22 pages, 1076 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychometric Properties of the Climate Change Worry Scale

by Alan E. Stewart

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(2), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020494 - 9 Jan 2021

Cited by 102 | Viewed by 10191

Abstract

Climate change worry involves primarily verbal-linguistic thoughts about the changes that may occur in the climate system and the possible effects of these changes. Such worry is one of several possible psychological responses (e.g., fear, anxiety, depression, and trauma) to climate change. Within [...] Read more.

Climate change worry involves primarily verbal-linguistic thoughts about the changes that may occur in the climate system and the possible effects of these changes. Such worry is one of several possible psychological responses (e.g., fear, anxiety, depression, and trauma) to climate change. Within this article, the psychometric development of the ten-item Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS) is detailed in three studies. The scale was developed to assess proximal worry about climate change rather than social or global impacts. Study 1 provided evidence that the CCWS items were internally consistent, constituted a single factor, and that the facture structure of the items was invariant for men and women. The results from Study 1 also indicated a good fit with a Rasch model of the items. Study 2 affirmed the internal consistency of the CCWS items and indicated that peoples’ responses to the measure were temporally stable over a two-week test–retest interval (r = 0.91). Study 3 provided support for the convergent and divergent validity of the CCWS through its pattern of correlations with several established clinical and weather-related measures. The limitations of the studies and the possible uses of the CCWS were discussed. The current work represents a starting point. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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18 pages, 2911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating Connections between Need for Cognitive Closure and Climate Change Concern in College Students

by Margaret Orr, Alan Stewart and Andrew Grundstein

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(15), 5619; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155619 - 4 Aug 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3779

Abstract

Understanding how people’s worldviews and individual personality differences affect their thinking about anthropogenic climate change is critical to communication efforts regarding this issue. This study surveyed University of Georgia students to investigate the role that need for cognitive closure plays in level of [...] Read more.

Understanding how people’s worldviews and individual personality differences affect their thinking about anthropogenic climate change is critical to communication efforts regarding this issue. This study surveyed University of Georgia students to investigate the role that need for cognitive closure plays in level of climate change worry. The relationship between these two was found to involve suppression—a subset of mediation—by the social dimension of political conservatism. Political conservatism was also found to play a mediating role in the relationship between need for cognitive closure and support for governmental and personal climate solutions. However, social conservatism played this mediator role in women, and functioned as a suppressor for men. These findings help inform audience segmentation and creation of climate-related messages based on audience worldview and personality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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22 pages, 4573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

#Climatechange vs. #Globalwarming: Characterizing Two Competing Climate Discourses on Twitter with Semantic Network and Temporal Analyses

by Wen Shi, Haohuan Fu, Peinan Wang, Changfeng Chen and Jie Xiong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 1062; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17031062 - 7 Feb 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6733

Abstract

Distinct perceptions of the global climate is one of the factors preventing society from achieving consensus or taking collaborative actions on this issue. The public has not even reached an agreement on the naming of the global concern, showing preference for either “climate [...] Read more.

Distinct perceptions of the global climate is one of the factors preventing society from achieving consensus or taking collaborative actions on this issue. The public has not even reached an agreement on the naming of the global concern, showing preference for either “climate change” or “global warming”, and few previous studies have addressed these two competing discourses resulting from distinct climate concerns by differently linking numerous climate concepts. Based on the 6,662,478 tweets containing #climatechange or #globalwarming generated between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2018, we constructed the semantic networks of the two discourses and examined their evolution over the decade. The findings indicate that climate change demonstrated a more scientific perspective and showed an attempt to condense climate discussions rather than diffuse the topic by frequently addressing sub-topics simultaneously. Global warming triggered more political responses and showed a greater connection with phenomena. Temporal analysis suggests that traditional political discussions were gradually fading in both discourses but more recently started to revive in the form of discourse alliance in the climate change discourse. The associations between global warming and weather abnormalitiessuddenly strengthened around 2012. Climate change is becoming more dominant than global warming in public discussions. Although two discourses have shown more similarities in the rank order of important climate concepts, apparent disagreements continue about how these concepts are associated. These findings lay the groundwork for researchers and communicators to narrow the discrepancy between diverse climate perceptions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

19 pages, 719 KiB

Open AccessReview

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

by Pauline Baudon and Liza Jachens

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9636; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189636 - 13 Sep 2021

Cited by 106 | Viewed by 24270

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 [...] Read more.

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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Other

Jump to: Research, Review

23 pages, 721 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

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

by Catriona Soutar and Anne P. F. Wand

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(2), 990; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020990 - 16 Jan 2022

Cited by 47 | Viewed by 10470

Abstract

Background: Knowledge about climate change may produce anxiety, but the concept of climate change anxiety is poorly understood. The primary aim of this study was to systematically review the qualitative literature regarding the scope of anxiety responses to climate change. The secondary aim [...] Read more.

Background: Knowledge about climate change may produce anxiety, but the concept of climate change anxiety is poorly understood. The primary aim of this study was to systematically review the qualitative literature regarding the scope of anxiety responses to climate change. The secondary aim was to investigate the sociodemographic and geographical factors which influence experiences of climate change anxiety. Methods: A systematic review of empirical qualitative studies was undertaken, examining the scope of climate change anxiety by searching five databases. Studies were critically appraised for quality. Content analysis was used to identify themes. Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The content analysis was organised into two overarching themes. The scope of anxiety included worry about threats to livelihood, worry for future generations, worry about apocalyptic futures, anxiety at the lack of response to climate change, and competing worries. Themes pertaining to responses to climate change anxiety included symptoms of anxiety, feeling helpless and disempowered, and ways of managing climate change anxiety. Relatively few studies were identified, with limited geographical diversity amongst the populations studied. Conclusions: The review furthers understanding of the concept of climate change anxiety and responses to it, highlighting the need for high-quality psychiatric research exploring its clinical significance and potential interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change)

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