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Appréhender l’éco-anxiété : une approche clinique et phénoménologique
Abstract
Résumé
Le changement climatique est l’une des menaces les plus importantes du XXIe siècle de par ses conséquences sociales, économiques et sanitaires. Sur un plan psychologique, il est par ailleurs source d’anxiété. Le concept d’eco-anxiété qui fait référence à ce phénomène est relativement récent et mérite des éclairages. Afin de l’explorer, une étude qualitative a été conduite auprès de 18 participants âgés de 19 à 48 ans, qui ont été conviés à des entretiens semi-directifs individuels ou en focus groups, qui ont fait l’objet d’une analyse thématique de contenu. Cette analyse a permis de mettre en évidence des symptômes variés qui se répartissent en six dimensions. Trois dimensions déjà évoquées dans la littérature ont été mises en évidence : des humeurs et cognitions négatives liées à l’anticipation des effets du changement climatique, de l’anxiété et des manifestations somatiques. Trois dimensions nouvelles ont également émergé des entretiens : une remise en question des choix de vie, un stress intense à l’évocation de la crise climatique et une évolution des relations aux autres allant vers un isolement et davantage de sélectivité relationnelle. Le versant psychopathologique de l’éco-anxiété, caractérisé par une exacerbation de certaines des dimensions symptomatiques identifiées dans cette recherche, pourrait se manifester surtout chez les individus qui n’ont pas de ressources suffisantes pour mettre en place des stratégies efficaces de régulation du stress. Une prise en charge de ce versant pathologique pourrait dès lors se concentrer sur différentes pistes thérapeutiques comme la diversification des stratégies de coping et un accompagnement autour des valeurs.
... A originalidade da investigação aqui apresentada reside na convergência entre big data sobre mudança climática e ecoansiedade. Nos últimos anos foram publicados vários estudos sobre ecoansiedade (Coffey et al., 2021;Gunasiri et al., 2022;Usher, Durkin e Bhullar, 2019;Rehling, 2022;Brophy, Olson e Paul, 2023;Jalin et al., 2024), mas não estudos que procurem compreender a relação entre a existência de big data sobre o clima e o que é que a sua perceção desencadeia ao nível emocional face às mudanças percecionadas nos dados. Considera-se que o uso dos big data sobre mudança climática tem grande potencial educacional, no sentido de dar materialidade às ideias defendidas por Edgar Morin y Anne-Brigitte Kern (2003) associadas ao conceito de 'Terra-pátria', no sentido de se compreender que os desafios climáticos são um designo global da humanidade. ...
A sociedade contemporânea está face ao desafio de lidar com as mudanças climáticas e as suas consequências ao nível dos ecossistemas, nas dinâmicas sociais e na saúde mental. Neste contexto surgiram os estudos sobre a ansiedade gerada pelas preocupações ambientais e mudanças climáticas, designada por ecoansiedade. Faz parte igualmente do contexto atual a existência de quantidades massivas de dados ou big data sobre as mudanças climáticas, recolhidas e tratadas por instituições credíveis. Esta investigação tem por objetivo principal compreender os níveis de ecoansiedade, preocupação e estado emocional promovidos pelo acesso a quantidades massivas de dados sobre a mudança do clima. A metodologia adotada é de natureza quantitativa com o uso da Escala da ansiedade das mudanças climáticas de Clayton e Karazsia (2020), complementada com uma Escala de emocional face às mudanças climáticas e uma Escala de preocupação face às mudanças climáticas. Os resultados apontam para baixos níveis de ecoansiedade e níveis moderados de preocupação e dos estados emocionais, sendo a dimensão de ajuste comportamental aquela que apresenta resultados mais expressivos.
Introduction
Climate change represents an unprecedented threat to humanity. In addition to the palpable consequences in terms of climate, it can generate psychological effects, such as eco-anxiety.
Objective
The aim of the present study was to validate a French-language scale (EMEA) measuring eco-anxiety, in order to contribute to the latter's understanding and characterization. To fully reflect the diversity of its manifestations, the construction of the items was based on a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 18 eco-anxious people. This study also analyzed the relationships between eco-anxiety, intolerance to uncertainty, and perception of climate risk.
Method
A total of 691 individuals participated in the two phases of this research: 262 in Phase 1 (selection of scale items) and 429 in Phase 2 (psychometric validation). In addition to the items contained in the EMEA, Phase 2 included a climate anxiety scale, a climate risk perception scale, and a scale measuring intolerance to uncertainty. The research was conducted online after being approved by a research ethics board.
Results
Results reveal a hierarchical model with one main factor and three subfactors (anxiety-depressive manifestations, relational disturbances, and obsession with ecology). There were positive correlations between eco-anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and climate risk perception, and negative correlations between obsession with ecology (third EMEA subdimension) and intolerance of uncertainty.
Conclusion
The EMEA's psychometric qualities will allow it to be used for further research, but also as an assessment and care decision aid for health professionals to help patients with severe or paralyzing eco-anxiety. It will also be useful for studying the efficiency of psychotherapeutic interventions.
Malgré les enjeux sociétaux attachés aux changements climatiques, notamment pour les jeunes générations particulièrement exposées, peu d’études se sont intéressées à la manière dont cette situation d’incertitude majeure face à l’avenir pouvait influencer leur choix d’orientation. C’est l’objectif de la recherche présentée. Menée en France, par questionnaire, auprès de 165 étudiant·es, elle prend en compte trois variables : le degré de sensibilisation aux enjeux environnementaux, le niveau d’éco-anxiété perçue ainsi que le sentiment d’incertitude face à l’avenir. L’analyse descriptive permet de découvrir un échantillon plus sensibilisé qu’engagé, déclarant toutefois, pour moitié, avoir tenu compte des enjeux écologiques dans leur choix d’orientation. Les analyses inférentielles confirment que la prise en compte du changement climatique dans le choix de carrière ou la manière d’exercer son métier varie selon les variables étudiées. Les résultats sont discutés sur le plan scientifique et des pratiques, au regard notamment du concept de carrière éthique.
Ce travail de recherche a pour but d’investiguer les effets que procure l’expérience psychédélique chez les consommateur·ice·s sur leur relation au monde qui les entoure et principalement leur connexion à la nature. Les psychédéliques ont longtemps été investigués puis prohibés. Leurs effets sur le plan psychologique ont mis en exergue plusieurs investigations et ils reviennent pour un regain thérapeutique très important, notamment dans un monde où la santé mentale et la reconnexion à soi et au monde (ou sphère bio-psycho-sociale) est au premier plan. Plusieurs études ont montré que nature et bien être étaient de pair et, qu’en parallèle, les psychédéliques permettait une reconnexion à la nature. Afin de répondre à cette question de recherche, une revue systématique de la littérature a été réalisée. Pour ce faire, le modèle PRISMA de Gedda et al. (2014) a été utilisé incluant quatre articles dans la synthèse qualitative. Les résultats ont démontré que la majorité des études prouvent que l’utilisation des psychédéliques tend à améliorer le lien à la nature chez les consommateur·ice·s.
Afin de rester compétitives, les entreprises se doivent d’être innovantes et de proposer régulièrement de nouveaux produits, services, process, … Si, pendant longtemps, les innovations se sont concentrées sur la dimension technique, aujourd’hui, elles s’appuient sur trois leviers principaux : les prix, la technologie et les usages. Depuis peu, l’innovation durable, qui consiste à innover en prenant en compte les impacts environnementaux, est également considérée comme un levier d’innovation supplémentaire. Pour répondre à ces nouvelles demandes, notamment autour de l’innovation par l’usage et l’innovation durable, les entreprises ne se demandent plus si elles doivent innover mais plutôt comment le faire. Elles « cherchent à renouveler leurs modalités d’innovation et de création ». De nouvelles méthodes et de nouveaux outils sont déployés en contexte industriel. Une des pratiques proposées est la mise en place de nouveaux lieux, dédiés à l’innovation, inspirés du mouvement maker tels que les FabLabs, les Living labs, les Hackerspaces, les Makerspaces, ... Ces nouveaux espaces, portés par des acteurs divers, renouvellent les modalités d’innovation et de création par la mise en oeuvre de processus collaboratifs et itératifs. Ils ont pour objectifs de remettre les usages au coeur des processus d’innovation, de centrer le processus sur l’utilisateur et ses besoins, de donner un nouveau souffle aux processus d’exploration et d’innovation des entreprises, de revaloriser les compétences pratiques et de s’adapter à un contexte de désindustrialisation. Pour réaliser ces objectifs, ces laboratoires d’innovation s’appuient sur trois grands piliers : un lieu caractérisé par une architecture, une disposition et un décor particuliers qui influencent le comportement des occupants ; une équipe composée d’acteurs variés et hétérogènes comme des chercheurs, des ingénieurs ainsi que des experts en méthodes et outils de créativité et de prototypage et enfin des méthodes visant à faciliter et accompagner la génération d’idées et le travail de groupe, notamment à travers des sessions de co-créativité. Dans le cadre de l’innovation durable, très peu d’outils sont adaptés aux pratiques de ces nouveaux lieux d’innovation. En effet, les laboratoires d’innovation soutiennent la génération d’idées et de premiers concepts alors que les outils d’éco-innovation ou d’éco-conception tel que l’Analyse de Cycle de Vie, reposent sur l’évaluation des impacts environnementaux de produits finalisés. Nous proposons de développer un outil d’éco-créativité qui a pour objectif d’accompagner les participants d’une session de co-créativité pour générer des idées nouvelles, originales, respectueuses de l’environnement et adaptées au contexte dans lequel elles se manifestent. Pour évaluer les effets de l’introduction d’un tel outil pendant des séances de co-créativité, une méthodologie d’analyse exhaustive de ces séances a été développée. Pour réaliser ces travaux, nous avons intégré le Clean Mobility LAB, laboratoire d’innovation d’un grand groupe d’ingénierie et de production d’équipements automobiles international, FORVIA FAURECIA.
The aim of the present research is to investigate the associations between the level of eco-anxiety and other variables such as environmental affect traits, connectedness to nature, depression, anxiety and media exposure. Participants attending climate awareness workshops were provided with a link to an online survey. A total of 522 French-speaking adults completed all questionnaires aimed at measuring various factors related to eco-anxiety. Multiple linear regressions and network analysis were conducted to examine correlations, assess the respective contributions of each factor, and explore potential interactions among them. While all environmental affects were associated with eco-anxiety, only negative affects were significant explaining variables. The level of media exposure was strongly associated with a higher level of eco-anxiety, as was the degree of connectedness to nature. Among the group of most eco-anxious people, while the average level of anxiety is high, a large majority of them paradoxically have zero to mild levels of anxiety in general. Finally, being female, not having children and having a high level of education predisposed to a higher level of eco-anxiety. This study is the first to our knowledge to investigate the link between several factors that influence eco-anxiety. The results suggest that two types of eco-anxious profiles can be distinguished, depending on their baseline level of anxiety. When eco-anxiety is added to an anxiety base, it may increase psychopathological manifestations in the individual. This hypothesis merits further investigation.
Introduction
In the context of global warming, new terms emerged in the global media and in the psychology field to embody the negative feelings which come along with climate change such as ‘eco‐anxiety’ or ‘solastalgia’. The pathological character of these emotions is denied although medical opinion is often required for helping people to handle them. Also, no proper medical framework in the field exists to study and care for these patients.
Methods
In this narrative review, we aim to (1) analyse the concept of eco‐anxiety by focusing on its history and developed concepts, (2) summarize the different scales built to assess eco‐anxiety and (3) propose a new medical framework.
Results
We came out with a framework based on the transformation of a physiological adaptative behaviour the ‘eco‐distress’. It is composed of three dimensions: eco‐anger, eco‐grief and eco‐worry, it is not debilitating in daily life and promotes coping strategies such as management of negative emotions and pro‐environmental behaviours (PEB). It can transform itself into a pathological state, the ‘ecolalgia’, composed of two core dimensions: eco‐anxiety and eco‐depression, leading to functional impairment and decrease in PEB. If ecolalgia maintains over 15 days, we propose to consider it as a full psychiatric disorder needing medical advice.
Conclusion
This new framework enables a novel approach that is necessary for the improved management of mental health issues related to climate change.
IntroductionClimate change represents an unprecedented threat to humanity. In addition to the palpable consequences in terms of climate, it can generate psychological effects, such as eco-anxiety.Objective
The aim of the present study was to validate a French-language scale (EMEA) measuring eco-anxiety, in order to contribute to the latter’s understanding and characterization. To fully reflect the diversity of its manifestations, the construction of the items was based on a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 18 eco-anxious people. This study also analyzed the relationships between eco-anxiety, intolerance to uncertainty, and perception of climate risk.MethodA total of 691 individuals participated in the two phases of this research: 262 in Phase 1 (selection of scale items) and 429 in Phase 2 (psychometric validation). In addition to the items contained in the EMEA, Phase 2 included a climate anxiety scale, a climate risk perception scale, and a scale measuring intolerance to uncertainty. The research was conducted online after being approved by a research ethics board.ResultsResults reveal a hierarchical model with one main factor and three subfactors (anxiety-depressive manifestations, relational disturbances, and obsession with ecology). There were positive correlations between eco-anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and climate risk perception, and negative correlations between obsession with ecology (third EMEA subdimension) and intolerance of uncertainty, consistent with convergent validity hypotheses.Conclusion
The EMEA’s psychometric qualities will allow it to be used for further research, but also as an assessment and care decision aid for health professionals to help patients with severe or paralyzing eco-anxiety. It will also be useful for studying the efficiency of psychotherapeutic interventions.
En février 2022, le GIEC a publié le volume 2 de son 6e rapport d'évaluation, intitulé "Changement climatique : impacts, adaptation et vulnérabilité". Au-delà des éléments inquiétants portant sur la description et l'anticipation des événements climatiques extrêmes à venir (vagues de chaleur, inondations, sécheresses etc.), le rapport revient sur la vulnérabilité actuelle des individus face aux changements climatiques : près de 50% des Terriens vivent d'ores et déjà dans des contextes et lieux de vie hautement vulnérables au changement climatique. Cette vulnérabilité n'est pas limitée à des caractéristiques "physiques" de l'environnement. Le GIEC insiste sur les impacts psychologiques et potentiellement traumatogènes des enjeux climatiques. Le rapport s'inscrit donc dans un constat plus large et partagé par la communauté des psychologues : de plus en plus de patients sont impactés par la prise de conscience des enjeux écologiques et sont confrontés à des souffrances psychologiques parfois intenses. De nouvelles terminologies sont ainsi apparues dans le domaine émotionnel pour caractériser ce qui semblait être des affects jusqu'alors inconnus ou tout du moins mal identifiés : solastalgie, éco-anxiété ou encore « eco-grief ». Les définitions de ces émotions, leur mesure, leur prise en charge, leur spécificité même, font l'objet de débats impliquant différentes sciences humaines et sociales : psychologie sociale, psychologie clinique, psychopathologie, sciences cognitives, sociologie, psychologie de la santé, méthodes d'interventions psychothérapeutiques. De cette compréhension dépend en effet leur prise en compte, tant dans le domaine de la prise en charge individuelle de type psychothérapeutique qu'au niveau politique et institutionnel. L'objectif du présent travail était de confronter plusieurs approches complémentaires en psychologie permettant de mieux cerner les contenus réels de ces affects. La démarche était de partir des constats cliniques individuels pour aboutir à des propositions de recommandations publiques, en passant par des discussions portant sur la compréhension de ces manifestations et sur l'état de l'art actuel sur ces questions et des référentiels théoriques en psychologie permettant d'approcher les éco-émotions. Les présents actes regroupent ces réflexions en deux parties : une partie relative à l'approche clinique de l'effondrement, une seconde partie sur les problématiques de recherche actuelle dans le domaine des émotions « climatiques ».
Background
Climate change has important implications for the health and futures of children and young people, yet they have little power to limit its harm, making them vulnerable to climate anxiety. This is the first large-scale investigation of climate anxiety in children and young people globally and its relationship with perceived government response.
Methods
We surveyed 10 000 children and young people (aged 16–25 years) in ten countries (Australia, Brazil, Finland, France, India, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, the UK, and the USA; 1000 participants per country). Invitations to complete the survey were sent via the platform Kantar between May 18 and June 7, 2021. Data were collected on participants’ thoughts and feelings about climate change, and government responses to climate change. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each aspect of climate anxiety, and Pearson's correlation analysis was done to evaluate whether climate-related distress, functioning, and negative beliefs about climate change were linked to thoughts and feelings about government response.
Findings
Respondents across all countries were worried about climate change (59% were very or extremely worried and 84% were at least moderately worried). More than 50% reported each of the following emotions: sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty. More than 45% of respondents said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning, and many reported a high number of negative thoughts about climate change (eg, 75% said that they think the future is frightening and 83% said that they think people have failed to take care of the planet). Respondents rated governmental responses to climate change negatively and reported greater feelings of betrayal than of reassurance. Climate anxiety and distress were correlated with perceived inadequate government response and associated feelings of betrayal.
Interpretation
Climate anxiety and dissatisfaction with government responses are widespread in children and young people in countries across the world and impact their daily functioning. A perceived failure by governments to respond to the climate crisis is associated with increased distress. There is an urgent need for further research into the emotional impact of climate change on children and young people and for governments to validate their distress by taking urgent action on climate change.
Funding
AVAAZ.
Eco-anxiety is the distress caused by climate change where people are becoming anxious about their future. The present scoping reveiw critically evaluated and synthesized the scholarly literature on eco-anxiety and reported it using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) [1]. The study aims were twofold: (i) to understand how eco-anxiety was operationalized in the existing literature, and (ii) the key characteristics of eco-anxiety. Our review found that further research is needed to provide conceptual clarity of the term eco-anxiety. We found that most of the evidence comes from the Western countries, and future research is needed in the non-Western countries. Indigenous peoples, children and young people, and those connected to the natural world are most impacted by eco-anxiety and are identified as vulnerable. We recommend employing diverse methodologies to better understand their lived experiences of eco-anxiety.
Eco-anxiety and climate anxiety are widely discussed in contemporary media and are subjects of growing research interest. However, there is a lack of research about the definitions and variations of these phenomena. This article analyzes various views of eco-anxiety from a wide range of disciplines. Insights from various anxiety theories are used to discuss empirical studies about forms of eco-anxiety. The article points out that uncertainty, unpredictability, and uncontrollability seem to be important factors in eco-anxiety. Most forms of eco-anxiety appear to be non-clinical, but cases of "pathological" eco-anxiety are also discussed. Other relevant terms and phenomena are scrutinized, such as ecological grief, solastalgia, and ecological trauma. The relationship between studies on eco-anxiety and research about ecological emotions and affect is probed. Eco-anxiety is found to be closely connected to fear and worry, but several disciplines include discussion of its character as existential anxiety. Psychosocial and sociological perspectives point out that social dynamics shape forms of eco-anxiety in profound ways. While paralyzing forms of eco-anxiety emerge as a problem, it is noted that eco-anxiety manifests itself also as "practical anxiety", which leads to gathering of new information and reassessment of behavior options. This variety of forms of eco-anxiety should be taken into account in healthcare and public discussion.
Solastalgia is a relatively new concept for understanding the links between human and ecosystem health, specifically, the cumulative impacts of climatic and environmental change on mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Given the speed and scale of climate change alongside biodiversity loss, pollution, deforestation, unbridled resource extraction, and other environmental challenges, more and more people will experience solastalgia. This study reviewed 15 years of scholarly literature on solastalgia using a scoping review process. Our goal was to advance conceptual clarity, synthesize the literature, and identify priorities for future research. Four specific questions guided the review process: (1) How is solastalgia conceptualized and applied in the literature?; (2) How is solastalgia experienced and measured in the literature?; (3) How is ‘place’ understood in the solastalgia literature?; and (4) Does the current body of literature on solastalgia engage with Indigenous worldviews and experiences? Overall, we find there is a need for additional research employing diverse methodologies, across a greater diversity of people and places, and conducted in collaboration with affected populations and potential knowledge, alongside greater attention to the practical implications and applications of solastalgia research. We also call for continued efforts to advance conceptual clarity and theoretical foundations. Key outcomes of this study include our use of the landscape construct in relation to solastalgia and a call to better understand Indigenous peoples’ lived experiences of landscape transformation and degradation in the context of historical traumas.
Linkages between climate and mental health are often theorized but remain poorly quantified. In particular, it is unknown whether the rate of suicide, a leading cause of death globally, is systematically affected by climatic conditions. Using comprehensive data from multiple decades for both the United States and Mexico, we find that suicide rates rise 0.7% in US counties and 2.1% in Mexican municipalities for a 1 °C increase in monthly average temperature. This effect is similar in hotter versus cooler regions and has not diminished over time, indicating limited historical adaptation. Analysis of depressive language in >600 million social media updates further suggests that mental well-being deteriorates during warmer periods. We project that unmitigated climate change (RCP8.5) could result in a combined 9–40 thousand additional suicides (95% confidence interval) across the United States and Mexico by 2050, representing a change in suicide rates comparable to the estimated impact of economic recessions, suicide prevention programmes or gun restriction laws.
It is increasingly necessary to quantify the impacts of climate change on populations, and to quantify the effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Despite growing interest in the health effects of climate change, the relationship between mental health and climate change has received little attention in research or policy. Here, we outline current thinking about climate change and mental health, and discuss crucial limitations in modern epidemiology for examining this issue. A systems approach, complemented by a new style of research thinking and leadership, can help align the needs of this emerging field with existing and research policy agendas.
Some fear that provoking widespread worry about climate change may harm mental health. The Regional Wellbeing Survey, a large study of health, well-being and life in rural and regional Australia, examined climate change worry and attitudes. Most respondents were worried about climate change and agreed that fossil fuel use causes global warming, but there was no evidence to suggest that worry about climate change is linked to mental health in the general population. Respectful, calm, considered public debate about how to respond to climate change is unlikely to be harmful to population mental health. Individually focused clinical approaches are unlikely to be effective as a primary approach in managing the mental health impacts of climate change. Instead, collective, systems-based approaches will be needed.
Qualifications such as "global warming hysteria" and "energy policy schizophrenia" put forward by some climate change skeptics, usually outside the academic arena, may suggest that people who seriously worry about the environment suffer from psychological imbalance. The present study aimed to refute this thesis. While habitual worrying in general is strongly associated with psychopathological symptoms, in a survey a near-zero correlation was found between habitual ecological worrying and pathological worry. Instead, habitual ecological worrying was associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and with a personality structure characterized by imagination and an appreciation for new ideas. The study had sufficient statistical power and measures were valid and reliable. The results confirm that those who habitually worry about the ecology are not only lacking in any psychopathology, but demonstrate a constructive and adaptive response to a serious problem. In the public domain, these findings may contribute to a more rational and less emotional debate on climate change and to the prevention of stigmatization of people who are genuinely concerned about our habitat and are prepared to do something about it ("habitual worriers are not crazy"). In the academic arena this study may contribute to environmental psychology ("habitual worrying is part of a green identity"), as well as to the literature on worry and anxiety ("habitual worrying can be a constructive response").
Objective:
The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) after Hurricane Katrina, and the role of demographics, predisaster psychological distress, hurricane-related stressors, and psychological resources (optimism and purpose) in predicting each.
Method:
Participants were 334 low-income mothers (82.0% non-Hispanic Black) living in the New Orleans area prior to Hurricane Katrina, who completed surveys in the year prior to the hurricane (T1 [Time 1]) and 1 and 3 years thereafter (T2 and T3).
Results:
Higher T2 and T3 PTS full-scale and symptom cluster subscales (Intrusion, Avoidance, and Hyperarousal) were significantly associated with higher T3 PTG, and participants who surpassed the clinical cutoff for probable posttraumatic stress disorder at both T2 and T3 had significantly higher PTG than those who never surpassed the clinical cutoff. Older and non-Hispanic Black participants, as well as those who experienced a greater number of hurricane-related stressors and bereavement, reported significantly greater T3 PTS and PTG. Participants with lower T2 optimism reported significantly greater T3 intrusive symptoms, whereas those with higher T1 and T2 purpose reported significantly greater T3 PTG.
Conclusions:
Based on the results, we suggest practices and policies with which to identify disaster survivors at greater risk for PTS, as well as longitudinal investigations of reciprocal and mediational relationships between psychological resources, PTS, and PTG.
On October 22, 2012, a late-season tropical system was named Sandy by the US National Hurricane Center. The system meandered for several days in warm Caribbean waters, intensifying slowly, gaining forward momentum, and passing directly over Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and the Bahamas. Sandy’s outer rain bands deluged Haiti’s deforested terrain, triggering severe floods and mudslides. Although Sandy was a minimal hurricane, millions were affected across 5 Caribbean nations and Puerto Rico, 100 persons were killed or reported missing, and thousands of homes were damaged. Estimated economic losses ranged from 2 billion in Cuba.1
What catapulted this system into a “superstorm” was a rare climate event. At mid-latitudes, Sandy interacted with a polar jet stream that steered the system toward the mid-Atlantic coastline, transforming the system into a hybrid blend of posttropical cyclone and winter storm. The system’s cloud canopy expanded to 1000 miles in diameter as circulating winds funneled ocean waves into the New Jersey shoreline, Long Island Sound, and New York Harbor, inundating portions of Staten Island and southern Manhattan.
In the United States, an estimated 60 million people across 24 states experienced a range of storm effects at varying intensities, including wind, rain, flood, coastal surge, and blizzard. The effects of the storm on vulnerable and fragile infrastructure produced power outages for more than 8 million residents; flooded New York City’s subway system and East River tunnels; set off a major fire that destroyed 111 housing units in the Breezy Point section of Queens; disrupted communications; and created acute shortages of gasoline, food, and commodities. Sandy was blamed for 113 US deaths and damaged 200 000 homes. Costs have been estimated at $50 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina as the nation’s costliest natural disaster.2,3
Over the past 2 decades, considerable research efforts have been focused on populations affected by natural disasters. A rapidly growing body of knowledge is now available to assist in estimating the potential mental health effects of Superstorm Sandy and the differential risks for specific populations and communities. The availability of data from randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of interventions for trauma-exposed populations may enable better planning and implementation of prevention strategies to mitigate the adverse mental health effects of the disaster.
An appreciation of the psychological impacts of global climate change entails recognizing the complexity and multiple meanings associated with climate change; situating impacts within other social, technological, and ecological transitions; and recognizing mediators and moderators of impacts. This article describes three classes of psychological impacts: direct (e.g., acute or traumatic effects of extreme weather events and a changed environment); indirect (e.g., threats to emotional well-being based on observation of impacts and concern or uncertainty about future risks); and psychosocial (e.g., chronic social and community effects of heat, drought, migrations, and climate-related conflicts, and postdisaster adjustment). Responses include providing psychological interventions in the wake of acute impacts and reducing the vulnerabilities contributing to their severity; promoting emotional resiliency and empowerment in the context of indirect impacts; and acting at systems and policy levels to address broad psychosocial impacts. The challenge of climate change calls for increased ecological literacy, a widened ethical responsibility, investigations into a range of psychological and social adaptations, and an allocation of resources and training to improve psychologists' competency in addressing climate change-related impacts.
Ce numéro réunit plusieurs chercheurs expérimentés ayant travaillé sur les focus groups, dans le but de présenter cette méthode de recherche passionnante et de plus en plus utilisée par les psychologues. Nous tenons, en particulier, à souligner les liens existant entre les focus groups et la théorie psycho-sociologique des représentations sociales, tout en présentant une méthode d’analyse des données recueillies avec les focus groups. Cet article en donnera, dans un premier temps, la définition et expliquera leurs principes ainsi que l’histoire qui sous-tendent leur utilisation. Dans un second temps, sont discutées les questions de recueil et de conduite de ces groupes ainsi que les questions conceptuelles, pratiques et éthiques qu’elles impliquent. Enfin, les différentes possibilités d’analyse sont examinées.
A number of studies have shown a range of symptoms resulting from exposure to natural disasters such as flooding. Among these consequences, individuals may experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to examine the psychological impact of flooding in the UK. A cross-sectional survey was used to investigate the psychological symptoms associated with the aftermath of the flood amongst adults living in the affected communities. A questionnaire battery including the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (trauma and symptoms associated with PTSD), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (anxiety and depression), Coping Strategies Questionnaire and a range of questions addressing sociodemographic characteristics and factors relating to the flood was administered to households in flood-affected areas. Four hundred and forty four completed questionnaires were returned. 27.9% of participants met criteria for symptoms associated with PTSD, 24.5% for anxiety and 35.1% for depression. Females had higher mean scores on PTSD, anxiety and depression than males. Most frequently reported coping strategies were rational, detached and avoidant, with the least frequent being emotional coping. Having to vacate home following flood, previous experience of flooding and poor health were associated with greater psychological distress. Detached coping appeared to be related to less distress. Although it is not possible to determine whether the symptoms were a direct consequence of the flood, symptoms of distress are a significant issue amongst communities affected by environmental events warranting further attention to prevent chronic distress.
Recent technological, geophysical, and societal forces have fundamentally altered the structure and functioning of human environments. Prominent among these forces are the rise of the Internet; rapid rates of global environmental change; and widening rifts among different socioeconomic, racial, religious, and ethnic groups. The present article traces the influence of these conditions on individuals' cognition, behavior, and well-being. New theoretical questions are raised and conceptual frameworks proposed to understand how global conditions are restructuring people's relationships with their everyday environments. New directions for psychological research and practice aimed at reducing global threats to personal and societal well-being are discussed.
Background
This article aims to provide an introduction to emerging evidence and debate about the relationship between climate change and mental health.
Discussion and Conclusion
The authors argue that:
i) the direct impacts of climate change such as extreme weather events will have significant mental health implications;
ii) climate change is already impacting on the social, economic and environmental determinants of mental health with the most severe consequences being felt by disadvantaged communities and populations;
iii) understanding the full extent of the long term social and environmental challenges posed by climate change has the potential to create emotional distress and anxiety; and
iv) understanding the psycho-social implications of climate change is also an important starting point for informed action to prevent dangerous climate change at individual, community and societal levels.
Solastalgia is a new concept developed to give greater meaning and clarity to environmentally induced distress. As opposed to nostalgia--the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home--solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment. The paper will focus on two contexts where collaborative research teams have found solastalgia to be evident: the experiences of persistent drought in rural NSW and the impact of large-scale open-cut coal mining on individuals in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW. In both cases, people exposed to environmental change experienced negative affect that is exacerbated by a sense of powerlessness or lack of control over the unfolding change process.
Qualitative (interviews and focus groups) and quantitative (community-based surveys) research has been conducted on the lived experience of drought and mining, and the findings relevant to solastalgia are presented.
The authors are exploring the potential uses and applications of the concept of solastalgia for understanding the psychological impact of the increasing incidence of environmental change worldwide.
Worldwide, there is an increase in ecosystem distress syndromes matched by a corresponding increase in human distress syndromes. The specific role played by global-scale environmental challenges to 'sense of place' and identity will be explored in the future development of the concept of solastalgia.
A representative sample of 815 pre-hurricane residents of the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina was interviewed 5-8 months after the hurricane and again 1 year later as the Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group (CAG). The follow-up survey was carried out to study patterns-correlates of recovery from hurricane-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), broader anxiety-mood disorders and suicidality. The Trauma Screening Questionnaire screening scale of PTSD and the K6 screening scale of anxiety-mood disorders were used to generate DSM-IV prevalence estimates. Contrary to results in other disaster studies, where post-disaster mental disorder typically decreases with time, prevalence increased significantly in the CAG for PTSD (20.9 vs 14.9% at baseline), serious mental illness (SMI; 14.0 vs 10.9%), suicidal ideation (6.4 vs 2.8%) and suicide plans (2.5 vs 1.0%). The increases in PTSD-SMI were confined to respondents not from the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, while the increases in suicidal ideation-plans occurred both in the New Orleans sub-sample and in the remainder of the sample. Unresolved hurricane-related stresses accounted for large proportions of the inter-temporal increases in SMI (89.2%), PTSD (31.9%) and suicidality (61.6%). Differential hurricane-related stress did not explain the significantly higher increases among respondents from areas other than New Orleans, though, as this stress was both higher initially and decreased less among respondents from the New Orleans Metropolitan Area than from other areas affected by the hurricane. Outcomes were only weakly related to socio-demographic variables, meaning that high prevalence of hurricane-related mental illness remains widely distributed in the population nearly 2 years after the hurricane.
Climate change will affect psychological wellbeing. Substantial research has documented harmful impacts on physical health, mental health, and social relations from exposure to extreme weather events that are associated with climate change. Recently, attention has turned to the possible effects of climate change on mental health through emotional responses such as increased anxiety. This paper discusses the nature of climate anxiety and some evidence for its existence, and speculates about ways to address it. Although climate anxiety appears to be a real phenomenon that deserves clinical attention, it is important to distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive levels of anxiety. A focus on individual mental health should not distract attention from the societal response that is necessary to address climate change.
Despite existing evidence for the threats of climate change facing people living in the U.S., the psychological impacts of this threat have been neglected in public and scientific discourse, resulting in a notable lack in studies on individuals’ adaptation to climate change. Using social-cognitive theory, we examine how three forms of environmental concern—egoistic (e.g., concern for oneself; one’s health or life), social-altruistic (e.g., concern for others; future generations or country), and biospheric (e.g., concern for plants and animals; nature)—influence concurrent ecological stress and ecological coping strategies. Further, we examine how ecological stress and coping are associated with both depressive symptoms and pro-environmental behaviors. In an online survey of 342 U.S. adults we found unique patterns of the three forms of environmental concern. Only individuals higher in biospheric environmental concern perceived ecological stress and engaged in ecological coping. In contrast, individuals higher in social-altruistic concern did not perceive ecological stress, but did engage in ecological coping. Those higher in egoistic concern neither perceived ecological stress, nor engaged in coping. In addition, perceived ecological stress was positively associated with depressive symptoms; ecological coping negatively predicted depressive symptoms, while positively predicting pro-environmental behaviors. In sum, with the exception of those high in biospheric concern, study participants did not seem to perceive climate change threats as having a profound effect on their own or their family’s life.
Differentiating three forms of environmental concern provides a nuanced view on their association with ecological stress and coping, and in turn depressive symptoms and pro-environmental behaviors. Results indicate that current public policy approaches that often focus on the natural environment when depicting or explaining the effects of climate change, may limit the effectiveness of interventions to those people who already show high concern for all living creatures, while failing to affect those motivated by egoistic or altruistic concern, increasing the risks associated with delaying climate change adaptation and the potential for large-scale negative mental health effects in our society.
Objectives: A 6-week multicomponent positive psychology intervention (PPI) was assessed with the primary aim of determining its effects on affective variables including anxiety, depression and psychological distress, as well as processual ones, such as mindfulness and emotion regulation. Exploratory investigations were conducted to consider changes in individual differences according to baseline characteristics.
Method: Participants were from a community sample of the French population. They were assigned to the
control (n =43) or intervention group (n =59). Self-assessment measures included the Mindful Attention
Awareness Scale, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck
Depression Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire.
Results: Trait anxiety, depressive symptoms and psychological distress significantly decreased over the course of the PPI in comparison to the control group. Regarding processual variables, mindfulness increased with a large effect size, acceptance and positive reappraisal increased, and scores for other-blame strategy significantly decreased. Exploratory analyses showed that mindfulness and positive reappraisal tended to increase even more when participants' initial levels were low.
Conclusion: Future clinical interventions should account for baseline characteristics to ensure that participants
are referred to the most effective, suitable programs for their own needs.
Despite widespread support for environmentalism, few people consistently engage in proenvironmental behavior. The present research investigates the potential of eco-guilt to increase engagement in proenvironmental behavior. Eco-guilt is guilt that arises when people think about times they have not met personal or societal standards for environmental behavior. Highlighting instances when people fail to meet standards for environmental protection should create guilt which should then motivate eco-friendly behavior. Study 1 (n=277) shows that eco-guilt predicts eco-friendly behavioral intentions above and beyond individual differences in trait guilt and proenvironmental attitudes. Study 2 (n=96) shows that eco-guilt mediates the relation between perceptions regarding personal standards about environmentally harmful behavior and both public and private efforts to protect the environment. When college students bring to mind their standards for environmental behavior, ranging from recycling to buying a fuel-efficient car, doing so creates eco-guilt, which motivates efforts to protect the environment.
The aim of this questionnaire study was to explore how Swedish 12-year-olds (n = 293) cope with climate change, and how different coping strategies relate to environmental engagement and well-being. Three coping strategies were identified: problem-focused coping, de-emphasizing the seriousness of climate change, and meaning-focused coping. Problem-focused and meaning-focused coping had positive associations with measures of environmental engagement, while de-emphasizing the threat had negative associations with engagement. Problem-focused coping was positively related to general negative affect, which was explained by the tendency for highly problem-focused children to worry more about climate change. In contrast, the more meaning-focused coping the children used the less they experienced negative affect, and the more they experienced life satisfaction, general positive affect, purpose, and optimism. Finally, moderation analyses revealed that for children high on problem-focused coping; meaning-focused coping, purpose, and optimism worked as buffers against negative affect. The importance of positive emotions for constructive coping is discussed.
Purpose
– Climate change news and educational awareness programs have swamped Australia in the past four years, with earlier campaigns raising awareness in Europe and the USA via television and the internet. What is the impact on people's psychological states of such concerns? The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological impact of climate change within the general population and investigate what makes an individual vulnerable to distress.
Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire was completed by 275 adults that assessed personality factors as well as environmental beliefs and religiosity. The design was cross‐sectional, and correlational analyses determined the associations between climate change distress and symptoms indicative of depression, anxiety and stress. Independent samples t‐tests and ANOVA revealed group differences for age and gender. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to identify important, unique predictors and to determine the extent to which environmental beliefs, future anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty and religiosity accounted for the variability in climate change measures beyond the effects of age and gender.
Findings
– This study indicates that the public is becoming increasingly concerned about climate change and that there is a relationship between this concern and symptoms that are indicative of depression, anxiety and stress. The results indicate that an individual is more likely to be distressed about climate change if they are female, under the age of 35 years, have a pro‐environmental orientation, and possess personality traits such as high levels of future anxiety.
Originality/value
– Bringing attention to the existence of climate change distress, understanding the extent of these fears and what makes a person vulnerable will be helpful in the treatment and prevention of general and clinical levels of climate‐related distress.
Humans are now by far the most powerful change agent on the planet, and their impacts are fundamentally transforming the face
of the physical landscape of the earth, altering natural patterns and rhythms, and, now, warming its climate. Under the influence
of increasing anthropogenic environmental pressures, I describe earth-related physical and mental health impacts due to environmental
and climate change. In what follows, I shall focus on earth-related mental health issues or what I call ‘psychoterratic’ impacts
that arise from negatively felt and perceived environmental change. A typology of emergent psychoterratic syndromes and conditions
is presented to assist in the understanding of and possible responses to chronic environmental change.
KeywordsPsychoterratic-Solastalgia-Nostalgia-Phenology
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