Climate Change, Natural Resources Depletion, COVID-19, and Wars are some of the great challenges of our time. The consequences will affect psychological well-being and could have a harmful impact on mental health. This study aimed to assess the level of preoccupation and fears surrounding issues of the 21st-century and the implication for psychological well-being of the general population from Central/Southern Italy among different age groups. A questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics, topics formulated ad-hoc about preoccupation, fears, habits, and willingness to change habits in the future related to the 21st-century challenges, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21) was administered online. A sample of 1831 participants (61% F; mean age 47.71 ± 17.30) was obtained. Results showed that young adults and older adults, respectively, reported greater and less psychological well-being. Young adults reported higher scores for preoccupation, changing habits, and willingness to change habits in the future, while older adults reported the lowest scores except for changing habits, also controlling for gender. Results for this variable, as well as correlations between the many variables described, rely on the specificity of age, and 21st-century challenges. Moreover, the main fears related to the 21st-century concerns were different based on both age and gender. In conclusion, the various stresses of the 21st-century discussed in this study have a relationship with personal well-being, and it is important to consider potential global mental health issues resulting from these stressors.

/pdf/climate-changes-natural-resources-depletion-covid-19-2n23huth.pdf

Climate Changes, Natural Resources Depletion, COVID-19 Pandemic, and Russian-Ukrainian War: What Is the Impact on Habits Change and Mental Health?

The psychological consequences of the ecological crisis: Three new questionnaires to assess eco-anxiety, eco-guilt, and ecological grief

Climate change anxiety in China, India, Japan, and the United States

The Climate Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a 13-item questionnaire for assessing climate anxiety (CA) as a psychological response to climate change. The CAS consists of two subscales, namely, cognitive impairment and functional impairment. This study aimed to validate the Polish version of the CAS. The sample included 603 respondents (344 females, 247 males, and 12 non-binary), aged 18–70 years (M = 25.32, SD = 9.59). Based on the exploratory factor analysis results, we proposed a 3-factor solution (i.e., intrusive symptoms, reflections on CA, and functional impairment), which seems to be theoretically more consistent with the content of the CAS statements. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original 2-factor solution and the 3-factor one had a satisfactory and a good fit to the data, respectively, as well as both were invariant across different gender, age, and educational level categories. Despite the fact that the 3-factor solution had the best-fit indices, we recommended to examine the CAS structure in different samples and use the overall CAS score in cross-cultural research. Cognitive and functional impairment subscales were positively correlated with personal experience of climate change, behavioral engagement, environmental identity, and environmental motives, but they were negatively correlated with climate change denial and sense of safety. The CAS subscales were correlated with depressive symptoms, but contrary to expectations, they were not associated with anxiety symptoms and any cognitive coping strategies. The Polish version of the CAS has satisfactory psychometric properties. Overall, we reported low CA levels in the Polish sample. Women and younger people experienced higher CA.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870392/pdf

Climate Change Anxiety Assessment: The Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version of the Climate Anxiety Scale

While it has been shown that climate change anxiety (emotional distress response to climate change) can enhance pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) in some subjects, in others it can induce eco-paralysis, thus leading individuals to avoid any form of engagement in actions against climate change. This study aims to clarify which factors influence the relationship between climate change anxiety and the disposition to PEBs, focusing on the role of self-efficacy as a mediating factor. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 394 healthy subjects living in Italy who completed the Pro-Environmental Behaviours Scale (PEBS), the General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE), and the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS). As a result, the mediation model showed a positive direct effect of the cognitive impairment subscale of CCAS on PEBS and an indirect negative effect of the cognitive impairment subscale of CCAS on PEBS mediated by GSE. These findings show that climate change anxiety has simultaneously two different effects on individuals: it directly encourages PEBs, and indirectly may have detrimental effects on PEBs such as eco-paralysis. Consequently, therapeutic approaches to treat climate change anxiety should not be aimed at rationalising irrational thoughts but rather at helping patients develop coping strategies such as PEBs which, in turn, foster self-efficacy. 

/pdf/how-can-climate-change-anxiety-induce-both-pro-environmental-3oiok0hl.pdf

How Can Climate Change Anxiety Induce Both Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Eco-Paralysis? The Mediating Role of General Self-Efficacy

Climate change is not only affecting our environment, but also negatively impacting mental health globally. While physical health problems caused by climate change have been increasingly studied in medical literature, few studies have investigated mental health problems caused byclimate change. In order to bridge this gap in the literature and assess the psychological impact of climate change, it is crucial to create adequate psychometric tools such as the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) developed by Susan Clayton. In this study, 150 Italian adults (67.4% females, and 32.6% males aged 19–76) were recruited online and required to complete CCAS, as well as GAD-7, K-10, NEP, PEBS, PESE/PSSE, and GSE in order to assess the psychometric properties of and validate CCAS in Italy. Patients were retested after three months. Data was collected from January to June 2021. The study used a 13-item version of the CCAS, which was based on the first two factors of Clayton's original scale. Researchers specifically analyzed internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant validity. Factor structure of CCAS was specifically addressed: a CFA was carried out to analyze the two-factor structure proposed in the original validation study. An EFA was then conducted and it was hypothesized that a single-factor structure could better fit data. Climate Change Anxiety Scale items exhibited reasonably good internal consistency. Test-retest reliability at a three-month evaluation proved to be good. The experience of climate change anxiety proved to be related to anxiety, pro-environmental behaviors, and low perception of self-efficacy.

Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale

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Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale