Eco-anxiety in children: A scoping review of the mental health impacts of the awareness of climate change

Abstract

BackgroundYouth are increasingly aware of the negative effects of climate change on the planet and human health, but this knowledge can often come with significant affective responses, such as psychological distress, anger, or despair. Experiencing major “negative” emotions, like worry, guilt, and hopelessness in anticipation of climate change has been identified with the term eco-anxiety. Emerging literature focuses on adults' experience; however, little is known about the ways in which children and youth experience eco-anxiety.ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to: (1) identify the available evidence on the topic of eco-anxiety in children, (2) clarify the mental health consequences brought by the awareness of climate change in this population, and (3) identify knowledge gaps in the literature and considerations for future research.MethodsGiven that the research on the topic of eco-anxiety in children is limited, that there are very few randomized controlled trials, and that the goal is not to analyze individual studies in-depth, a scoping review was used. Keywords pertaining to the themes of eco-anxiety, climate change and children (aged < 18 years) were used as search terms in five databases. Journal articles using qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as gray literature were examined by two independent reviewers. A descriptive-analytical method was used to chart the data that emerged from the literature. Eighteen articles were considered in the final analysis.ResultsEvidence confirms that children experience affective responses and eco-anxiety in reaction to then awareness of climate change. Mental health outcomes include depression, anxiety, and extreme emotions like sadness, anger, and fear. Youth from vulnerable communities, like indigenous communities, or those who have strong ties to the land are often identified as being emotionally impacted by climate change. The literature analyzed also describes how children and youth are coping with eco-anxiety, including maladaptive (e.g., denial) and adaptive responses (such as constructive hope, used as a positive coping mechanism). Preliminary considerations for parents, teachers and educators, mental health care providers, school systems, adults and people of power include adding age-appropriate climate education to the school curriculum, considering youth's emotions, and promoting healthy coping through empowerment. Important gaps exist in the definition of eco-anxiety in youth, as various characterizations of this emerging concept are found across articles.

Growing Up in an Era of Storms and Stress—Promoting Hope Among Adolescents in the Face of Climate Change

“…5 Educators also need to proactively develop plans for addressing the effects of climate change on school operations, such as the ability to provide time outdoors or a need for temporary climate-related closures. 5…”

“…Because many teens report feeling invalidated, providing safe spaces for adolescents to discuss their feelings without pathologizing their fears about climate change can be helpful . Adults could also model actions to care for the planet, provide hopeful but realistic messages about climate change, ensure adolescent representation on climate change efforts, and support adolescent-led advocacy …”

“…Most of the world’s youths (85%) live in the Global South, which is the region most affected by climate change despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions . Youths who live in some of the areas most affected (eg, indigenous communities) may be more emotionally affected because of their strong ties to the land . These adolescents may also have the least access to mental health services .…”

How children make sense of climate change: A descriptive qualitative study of eco-anxiety in parent-child dyads

“…Initial evidence of eco-anxiety in children is sparse. However, two recent scoping reviews indicated that youth and children experience emotional reactions in response to the awareness of climate change, which constitutes a form of eco-anxiety [ 30 , 31 ]. One of the most recent large-scale surveys of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years across many different countries found that more than half (60%) of respondents were “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change, and 56% believed that “humanity is doomed” [ 25 ].…”

Differences in well-being

“…Similarly to the pandemic, the climate crisis is an existential threat to our world and especially youth have been found to be affected in their mental health and well-being because of climate change (Clemens et al, 2022;Sanson & Bellemo, 2021;Sciberras & Fernando, 2022). Besides the direct effect of climate change, i.e., natural disasters, on mental health and well-being, mental health is affected by indirect effects as well, including anxiety about the future, distress, and feelings of hopelessness and anger (Cianconi et al, 2020;Fritze et al, 2008;Léger-Goodes et al, 2022). It has been suggested that the rise in mental health problems and decreased well-being in children and adolescents (Collishaw, 2015;Pitchforth et al, 2019) is partly explained by the worry, fear, and anxiety youth experience about the impact of climate change on their future lives (Amnesty International, 2019;Bolton & Bhugra, 2020).…”