The DOI matches its Crossref record; 21 of the 21 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Hope, Coping and Eco-Anxiety: Young People’s Mental Health in a Climate-Impacted Australia
Open accessAbstract
(1) Background: In Australia, young people are one of the most vulnerable populations to the mental health impacts of climate change. The aim of this article was to explore mental health promotion issues related to climate change for young people in Australia. (2) Methods: An exploratory mixed-method approach, co-led by young people, was used to engage young people living in Australia aged 18–24 years in semi-structured interviews (N = 14) and an online survey (N = 46). Data were analysed thematically and with descriptive statistics. (3) Results: Findings indicated that negative impacts included worry, eco-anxiety, stress, hopelessness/powerlessness and feelings of not having a voice. Several mediating factors, in particular social media engagement, highlighted the duality of mental health impacts for young people’s mental health. Positive impacts of climate action included feeling optimistic and in control. (4) Conclusions: This exploratory study contributes to an emerging field of public health research on young people’s mental health in a climate-impacted Australia. Climate change is a significant concern for young people, and it can negatively affect their mental health. The findings can inform the design of public health interventions that raise awareness of climate change-related mental health issues among young people and promote their participation in nature-based interventions, climate action and empowering social media engagement.
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“Encouraging collective pro-environmental action can be empowering: enabling and sustaining hope while providing social support from like-minded peers. 9,33”
From Understanding and managing psychological distress due to climate change (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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“Research indicates that climate change is a significant concern for our young people (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), with prominent feelings of worry, eco-anxiety, stress, hopelessness, powerlessness, and not being listened to [39].”
From Climate Distress: A Review of Current Psychological Research and Practice (2023) · cites this paper as [39]
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Citations
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Background
Flagged first, then by citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
The youth mental health crisis: analysis and solutions
McGorry, P. D., Gunasiri, H., Mei, C., Rice, S., & Gao, C. X. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1517533 · Cited by 261
“A range of factors including government inaction on climate change, social media exposure, and social challenges such as housing instability, food insecurity, and increased con fl ict in fl uence this relationship between climate change and young people ’ s mental health (177, 178, 181 – 183).”
Self-citationMental Health Impacts of Climate Change Among Vulnerable Populations Globally: An Integrative Review
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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
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Hogg, T. L., Stanley, S. K., & O’Brien, L. V. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102003 · Cited by 79
Metadata
- Authors
- Gunasiri, H., Wang, Y., Watkins, E.-M., Capetola, T., Henderson-Wilson, C., & Patrick, R.
- Affiliations
- Deakin University (AU)
- School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Gunasiri, Hasini
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-05-02
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 5528
- ISSN
- 1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9105994
- OpenAlex
- W4225263796
- Cited by
- 119
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 6
- FWCI
- 33.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Own your potential (DEAKIN) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Keywords
- climate anxiety, youth mental health, climate change impacts, hope, coping, social media engagement, climate action, powerlessness, nature-based interventions, mental health promotion, Australia
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Australia, Humans, Mental Health
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