(PS1-B31) Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Climate Change Anxiety

Friday, November 18, 2022

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

AN

Allegra Netten, Psy.D.

Doctoral student (Psy.D. in progress)
University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Co-Author(s)

JD

Jason Doiron, Ph.D.

Professor
University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
MA

Michael Arfken, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Climate change, the rapid changes to Earth’s climate system related to anthropogenic influence, has had widespread effects on humans and the natural world (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2014). Increasingly, research is suggesting that psychological effects of climate change are becoming more common as more people become aware of climate change (Searle & Gow, 2010). This includes climate change anxiety – defined as anxiety in response to knowledge of the threat of climate change – and other serious mental health concerns. To address the growing incidence of climate change anxiety, we must be able to accurately assess the problem. Informed by the psychological literature, the present study involved the development and validation of a scale to measure climate change anxiety which aids in differentiating adaptive and maladaptive levels of climate change anxiety. Through review of existing anxiety scales, and cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic, and existential perspectives on anxiety, an initial pool of 45 items was generated to measure climate change anxiety. These items were administered, along with scales to measure related constructs, to a sample of 428 participants (mean age = 28.7 years; 66.7% female, 29.6% male, 3.8% nonbinary/gender non-conforming or other gender). Exploratory factors analysis (parallel analysis, principal axis factoring extraction, and oblimin rotation) revealed a three-factor solution, with subscales measuring present-focused anxiety (Cronbach’s α=0.94), future-focused anxiety (α=0.89), and clinical significance of anxiety (α=0.93) respectively. All three factors met simple structure criteria and demonstrated sufficient internal consistency reliability and theoretical significance. The study also will also explore relationships between climate change anxiety and other constructs, including climate-related knowledge, climate action, and experience with climate change events. The development of this evidence-based scale will allow for the accurate and valid assessment of climate change anxiety which may help to inform treatment of those that experience debilitating levels of climate change anxiety. The scale also has the potential to help policy makers understand levels of climate change anxiety that may be optimal with respect to promoting behavioural changes that might help to reduce human impacts on climate.