This blog post was written by Alexander Jake McDonald, and a version first appeared in a newsletter by CIRCLE (Community-minded Interventions for Resilience, Climate Leadership and Emotional wellbeing, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Stanford Medicine)
In a groundbreaking US survey, researchers explored the complex ways climate change psychologically affects youth, examining the links between a broad spectrum of emotional and mental responses, mental health and well-being, and life plans. Dr Britt Wray, Dr Ans Vercammen and Dr Emma Lawrance (Imperial College London) led this study alongside Dr Gary Belkin and Dr Yoshika Crider, delving into how young Americans aged 16-24 are psychologically impacted by climate-related concerns, and how self-reported experiences of climate change-related hazards and extreme events influence these responses. The research further investigated how awareness of climate change influences young people’s life choices and sense of agency.
The authors discovered that climate anxiety is more than just an emotional burden; it’s prompting young people to actively reconsider their futures. Many felt they wanted to educate themselves more on climate change, while up to a third were reconsidering travel, family planning and making big life decisions in light of the changing climate. While this climate anxiety can be a source of agency, motivating some to take action, it can also intensify existing mental health challenges for others. The young people who self-reported that they have already directly experienced climate change hazards were more likely to be eco-anxious and to be making different decisions for their future because of climate change. On the other hand, they were also more likely to be processing the threat of climate change in potentially helpful ways that could help them cope and find meaning and purpose, known as psychological adaptation.
The findings of this research emphasize that climate anxiety is a valid response to the real threats posed by climate change. As the frequency of climate-related events increases, there’s a growing need for health systems and communities to address climate distress, support public agency, and strengthen healthy coping mechanisms among youth.
The authors said: “We were interested in how young people’s perceptions of being directly impacted, rather than ‘objective’ indicators of climatic changes, were associated with psychological responses and with mental health outcomes, as it has been shown that extreme weather events or temperature anomalies in themselves show weak correlations with climate awareness and opinions. Our research shows that young people’s psychological responses are significantly shaped by climate change”