Climate change anxiety and mental health: Environmental activism as buffer
Open accessAbstract
A growing body of research has documented the phenomenon of climate change anxiety (CCA), defined broadly as negative cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses associated with concerns about climate change. A recently validated scale of CCA indicated two subscales: cognitive emotional impairment and functional impairment (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020). However, there are few empirical studies on CCA to date and little evidence regarding whether CCA is associated with psychiatric symptoms, including symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and whether engaging in individual and collective action to address climate change could buffer such relationships. This mixed methods study draws on data collected from a sample of emerging adult students (ages 18-35) in the United States (N = 284) to address these gaps. Results indicated that both CCA subscales were significantly associated with GAD symptoms, while only the Functional Impairment subscale was associated with higher MDD symptoms. Moreover, engaging in collective action, but not individual action, significantly attenuated the association between CCA cognitive emotional impairment and MDD symptoms. Responses to open-ended questions asking about participants' worries and actions related to climate change indicated the severity of their worries and, for some, a perception of the insignificance of their actions relative to the enormity of climate change. These results further the field's understanding of CCA, both in general and specifically among emerging adults, and suggest the importance of creating opportunities for collective action to build sense of agency in addressing climate change.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Protest action (climate activism) was overall not directly associated with depressive or anxiety symptoms, but had some buffering effect between climate change anxiety and depressive symptoms.
“While protest action (i.e., climate activ -ism) was overall not directly associated with depressive or anxiety symptoms, it had some buffering effect between cli -mate change anxiety and depressive symptoms (Schwartz et al., 2023).”
From The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as Schwartz et al., 2023
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414 · see citing works
(2013) · Cited by 44,563 · see citing works
A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The GAD-7
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006) · Archives of Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092 · Cited by 31,765 · see citing works
Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593 · Cited by 20,391 · see citing works
The PHQ-9: A New Depression Diagnostic and Severity Measure
Kroenke, K., & Spitzer, R. L. (2002) · Psychiatric Annals · doi:10.3928/0048-5713-20020901-06 · Cited by 5,898 · see citing works
The PHQ-8 as a measure of current depression in the general population
Kroenke, K., Strine, T. W., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Berry, J. T., & Mokdad, A. H. (2009) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2008.06.026 · Cited by 5,121 · see citing works
An Ultra-Brief Screening Scale for Anxiety and Depression: The PHQ–4
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2009) · Psychosomatics · doi:10.1016/s0033-3182(09)70864-3 · Cited by 4,261 · see citing works
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Siegel, L. J., & Fletcher‐Janzen, E. (2014) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118660584.ese0728 · Cited by 3,438 · see citing works
The online survey as a <i>qualitative</i> research tool
Braun, V., Clarke, V., Boulton, E., Davey, L., & McEvoy, C. (2021) · International Journal of Social Research Methodology · doi:10.1080/13645579.2020.1805550 · Cited by 1,619 · see citing works
Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change
Clayton, S. (2020) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102263 · Cited by 1,409 · cited 4× · see citing works
“This constellation of responses does not itself qualify as a psychiatric disorder, such as MDD or GAD, but indicates a source of stress that can have a negative impact on mental health (Clayton, 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationThe Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review
Cianconi, P., Betrò, S., & Janiri, L. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074 · Cited by 1,320 · see citing works
Development and validation of a measure of climate change anxiety
Clayton, S., & Karazsia, B. T. (2020) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101434 · Cited by 1,196 · see citing works
Self-citationAn exploration of the drive for muscularity in adolescent boys and girls
McCreary, D. R., & Sasse, D. K. (2000) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448480009596271 · Cited by 1,184 · see citing works
Mental Health Consequences of Disasters
Goldmann, E., & Galea, S. (2014) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182435 · Cited by 1,082 · see citing works
Hope and climate change: the importance of hope for environmental engagement among young people
Ojala, M. (2012) · Environmental Education Research · doi:10.1080/13504622.2011.637157 · Cited by 988 · see citing works
The psychological impacts of global climate change
Doherty, T. J., & Clayton, S. (2011) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0023141 · Cited by 894 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Increasing evidence indicates that climate change will have far-reaching impacts on human health, including mental health (Doherty & Clayton, 2011; Hayes et al., 2018).”
BackgroundSelf-citationClimate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions
Hayes, K., Blashki, G., Wiseman, J., Burke, S., & Reifels, L. (2018) · International Journal of Mental Health Systems · doi:10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6 · Cited by 746 · see citing works
Stanley, S. K., Hogg, T. L., Leviston, Z., & Walker, I. (2021) · The Journal of Climate Change and Health · doi:10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100003 · Cited by 715 · see citing works
Higher temperatures increase suicide rates in the United States and Mexico
Burke, M., González, F., Baylis, P., Heft-Neal, S., Baysan, C., Basu, S., & Hsiang, S. (2018) · Nature Climate Change · doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0222-x · Cited by 604 · see citing works
Fear, hope, anger, and guilt in climate activism
Kleres, J., & Wettergren, Å. (2017) · Social movement studies · doi:10.1080/14742837.2017.1344546 · Cited by 415 · see citing works
Wang, Z.-H., Yang, H.-L., Yang, Y.-Q., Liu, D., Li, Z.-H., Zhang, X.-R., Zhang, Y.-J., Shen, D., Chen, P.-L., Song, W.-Q., et al. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.034 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Wullenkord, M. C., Tröger, J., Hamann, K. R. S., Loy, L. S., & Reese, G. (2021) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1007/s10584-021-03234-6 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Do concerns about climate change lead to distress?
Searle, K., & Gow, K. (2010) · International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management · doi:10.1108/17568691011089891 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
The environmental action scale: Development and psychometric evaluation
Alisat, S., & Riemer, M. (2015) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.05.006 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Nairn, K. (2019) · Young · doi:10.1177/1103308818817603 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Political activism and mental health among Black and Latinx college students
Hope, E. C., Velez, G., Offidani-Bertrand, C., Keels, M., & Durkee, M. I. (2018) · Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology · doi:10.1037/cdp0000144 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Threats to Mental Health and Well-Being Associated with Climate Change
Hrabok, M., Delorme, A., & Agyapong, V. I. O. (2020) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102295 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
“Being Called Awake”: The Role Of Transformative Learning In The Lives Of Environmental Activists
Kovan, J. T., & Dirkx, J. M. (2003) · Adult Education Quarterly · doi:10.1177/0741713602238906 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Burnout in Social Justice and Human Rights Activists: Symptoms, Causes and Implications
Chen, C. W., & Gorski, P. C. (2015) · Journal of Human Rights Practice · doi:10.1093/jhuman/huv011 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Reyes, M. E. S., Carmen, B. P. B., Luminarias, M. E. P., Mangulabnan, S. A. N. B., & Ogunbode, C. A. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02099-3 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Anxiety disorders, climate change, and the challenges ahead: Introduction to the special issue
Taylor, S. J. (2020) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102313 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Social Epidemiology of Depression and Anxiety by Gender Identity
Reisner, S. L., Katz‐Wise, S. L., Gordon, A. R., Corliss, H. L., & Austin, S. B. (2016) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.04.006 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Fighting racism, battling burnout: causes of activist burnout in US racial justice activists
Gorski, P. C. (2018) · Ethnic and Racial Studies · doi:10.1080/01419870.2018.1439981 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Eisenman, D., McCaffrey, S., Donatello, I., & Marshal, G. (2015) · EcoHealth · doi:10.1007/s10393-015-1052-1 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
California DREAMers: Activism, identity, and empowerment among undocumented college students.
DeAngelo, L., Schuster, M. T., & Stebleton, M. J. (2016) · Journal of Diversity in Higher Education · doi:10.1037/dhe0000023 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Gong, F., Xu, J., Fujishiro, K., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2011) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.09.014 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Mental Health and Our Changing Climate
Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Speiser, M., & Hill, A. N. (2021) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e507892021-001 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Self-citationBenoit, L., Thomas, I., & Martin, A. (2021) · Child and Adolescent Mental Health · doi:10.1111/camh.12514 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Self-citationHeo, S., Lee, W., & Bell, M. L. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18147699 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
A model for developing and assessing youth-based environmental engagement programmes
Riemer, M., Lynes, J. K., & Hickman, G. (2013) · Environmental Education Research · doi:10.1080/13504622.2013.812721 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
On the Relationship Between Character Strengths and Sustainable Behavior
Corral-Verdugo, V., Tapia-Fonllem, C. O., & Ortiz-Valdez, A. (2014) · Environment and Behavior · doi:10.1177/0013916514530718 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Strategies for Delivering Mental Health Services in Response to Global Climate Change
Palinkas, L., O’Donnell, M., Lau, W., & Wong, M. (2020) · doi:10.20944/preprints202010.0150.v1 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Boehnke, K., & Wong, B. (2011) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167210397553 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Veronese, G., Pepe, A., Jaradah, A., Murannak, F., & Hamdouna, H. (2017) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.027 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Wullenkord, M. C., Tröger, J., Hamann, K. R. S., et al. (2021) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/76ez2 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
A Moderated Mediation Test of Minority Stress
Velez, B. L., & Moradi, B. (2016) · The Counseling Psychologist · doi:10.1177/0011000016665467 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Theoretical and Empirical Foundations for Ecotherapy
Doherty, T. J. (2016) · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-48688-2_2 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
The Promise and Peril of Emerging Adulthood: Introduction to the Special Issue
Henin, A., & Berman, N. C. (2016) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.05.005 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Lorimer, K., Knight, R., & Shoveller, J. (2020) · Critical Public Health · doi:10.1080/09581596.2020.1786501 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Activism, social support, and trump-related distress: Exploring associations with mental health.
Albright, J. N., & Hurd, N. M. (2021) · Journal of Diversity in Higher Education · doi:10.1037/dhe0000316 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Napier, A. (2021) · Harvard Educational Review · doi:10.17763/1943-5045-91.3.419 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
APA annual stress survey finds 2020 election one major cause
Canady, V. A. (2019) · Mental Health Weekly · doi:10.1002/mhw.32126 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Mobilizing action on climate change and migration: the UK Migration and Climate Change Coalition
Gemenne, F., & Rosenow-Williams, K. (2015) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315674803-21 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Lawrance, E. L., Thompson, R., Newberry Le Vay, J., Page, L., & Jennings, N. (2022) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/09540261.2022.2128725 · Cited by 500 · see citing works
Climate anxiety: What predicts it and how is it related to climate action?
Whitmarsh, L., Player, L., Jiongco, A., James, M., Williams, M., Marks, E., & Kennedy-Williams, P. (2022) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101866 · Cited by 401 · see citing works
Fear for the future: Eco-anxiety and health implications, a systematic review
Boluda-Verdú, I., Senent-Valero, M., Casas-Escolano, M., Matijasevich, A., & Pastor-Valero, M. (2022) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101904 · Cited by 306 · see citing works
Cosh, S. M., Ryan, R., Fallander, K., Robinson, K., Tognela, J., Tully, P. J., & Lykins, A. D. (2024) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-024-06274-1 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Lawrance, E. L., Jennings, N., Kioupi, V., Thompson, R., Diffey, J., & Vercammen, A. (2022) · The Lancet Planetary Health · doi:10.1016/s2542-5196(22)00172-3 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Larionow, P., Sołtys, M., Izdebski, P., Mudło-Głagolska, K., Golonka, J., Demski, M., & Rosińska, M. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870392 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
A network approach to climate change anxiety and its key related features
Heeren, A., Mouguiama-Daouda, C., & McNally, R. J. (2023) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102625 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
A meta-analysis on the relationship between climate anxiety and wellbeing
Gago, T., Sargisson, R. J., & Milfont, T. L. (2024) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102230 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Heeren, A., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2023) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102654 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Parmentier, M.-L., Weiss, K., Aroua, A., Betry, C., Rivière, M., & Navarro, O. (2024) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102799 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Predicting climate change anxiety
Asgarizadeh, Z., Gifford, R., & Colborne, L. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102087 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Climate Change Perception and Mental Health. Results from a Systematic Review of the Literature
Gianfredi, V., Mazziotta, F., Clerici, G., Astorri, E., Oliani, F., Cappellina, M., Catalini, A., Dell’Osso, B. M., Pregliasco, F. E., Castaldi, S., et al. (2024) · European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe14010014 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Thomson, E. E., & Roach, S. P. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1241400 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Ikegwu, A. C., Nweke, H. F., Mkpojiogu, E., Anikwe, C. V., Igwe, S. A., & Alo, U. R. (2024) · Energy Informatics · doi:10.1186/s42162-024-00307-5 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Climate Anxiety and Mental Health in Germany
Hajek, A., & König, H.-H. (2023) · Climate · doi:10.3390/cli11080158 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Climate Anxiety: Current Evidence and Future Directions
Boehme, B. A. E., Kinsman, L. M., Norrie, H. J., Tessier, E. D., Fleming, S. W., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2024) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-024-01538-9 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review
Mužík, M., Šerek, J., & Juhová, D. S. (2025) · Adolescent Research Review · doi:10.1007/s40894-024-00239-x · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“While protest action (i.e., climate activ - ism) was overall not directly associated with depressive or anxiety symptoms, it had some buffering effect between cli - mate change anxiety and depressive symptoms (Schwartz et al., 2023).”
Gebhardt, N., Schwaab, L., Friederich, H.-C., & Nikendei, C. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1274523 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
A systematic review of climate emotions and mental health in adults
Pitt, C., Norris, K., & Pecl, G. (2023) · Global Environmental Psychology · doi:10.5964/gep.11405 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Doherty, T., Artman, S., Homan, J., Keluskar, J., & White, K. E. (2024) · The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist · doi:10.1017/s1754470x24000278 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
- Authors
- Schwartz, S. E. O., Benoit, L., Clayton, S., Parnes, M. F., Swenson, L., & Lowe, S. R.
- Affiliations
- Suffolk University (US)
- Inserm (FR)
- College of Wooster (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schwartz, Sarah E. O.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Current Psychology
- Published
- 2022-02-28
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 16708-16721
- ISSN
- 1046-1310 (ISSN-L)
- 1936-4733
- PMC
- PMC8883014
- OpenAlex
- W4214575739
- Cited by
- 421
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 98 · 2025: 116 · 2024: 117 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 22
- FWCI
- 116.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Current Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- European Commission (945408, HORIZON2020)
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-11-LABX-0027)
- Institut d’études avancées de Paris
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- climate anxiety, mental health, environmental activism, collective action, individual action, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, emerging adults, sense of agency, climate change concern, functional disability
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
