Abstract
Many people around the world report that they feel anxious and worried about ecological crises, a phenomenon commonly referred to as ‘eco-anxiety’. Despite its increasingly popular use, eco-anxiety is a poorly understood construct, with no consensus as to its qualities and characteristics, and how to measure it. In addition, there has been limited research on the individual and contextual predictors of eco-anxiety, and whether and how eco-anxiety relates to individual mental health and wellbeing, and pro-environmental behaviour. Furthermore, it is unclear whether individuals with similar expressions of eco-anxiety cluster together to form distinct eco-anxiety profiles (subpopulations of people), and moreover, what the predictors and characteristics of the profiles would be. This thesis advances knowledge of eco-anxiety by contributing to its conceptualisation and operationalisation, situating it within a broader context of predictors and correlates, and investigating profiles (subpopulations) of eco-anxiety.Across two studies, I developed and validated a multidimensional measurement model of eco-anxiety, the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS; Chapter Two). The HEAS operationalised eco-anxiety as a multifaceted construct, characterised by four dimensions: affective symptoms (feeling nervous, anxious or on edge), rumination (persistent thoughts about environmental degradation), behavioural symptoms (difficulties sleeping, socialising, working and/or studying), and anxiety about one’s personal impact on the planet. The dimensions of eco-anxiety exhibited a high degree of internal consistency and were distinct from, but related to, symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. My findings determined that eco-anxiety is a unique and quantifiable phenomenon that is reliably measured using the HEAS.
I used the HEAS to measure eco-anxiety in my thesis. I synthesised existing findings on the psychometric performance of the HEAS and added new evidence on its performance (Chapter Three). The HEAS had good psychometric performance across studies and countries, and was closely related to a validated measure of climate anxiety, providing additional support for the reliability and validity of the HEAS. I examined associations between the eco-anxiety dimensions and theoretically relevant constructs, finding that higher scores on the HEAS dimensions were predicted by stronger perceptions of the threat of climate change, greater direct exposure to ecological problems, and actively seeking and avoiding information about climate change in the news. These associations indicted that individual (perceptions of climate risks) and contextual factors (direct exposure to ecological problems, how people engage with the media) play an important role in shaping people’s experiences of eco-anxiety.
Next, I interrogated associations between eco-anxiety dimensions and indicators of both poor mental health and pro-environmental behaviour (Chapter Four). I showed that some aspects of eco-anxiety were uniquely implicated in poorer mental health (i.e., affective and behavioural eco-anxiety symptoms), while other aspects were uniquely predictive of pro-environmental behaviour (i.e., rumination and personal impact anxiety), indicating that eco-anxiety is relevant to both individual and planetary wellbeing. I showed that the shape of the relationship between eco-anxiety dimensions and pro-environmental behaviour was mostly linear, meaning that I did not find evidence of eco-paralysis in my data. The eco-anxiety dimensions were interrelated across time, providing evidence for the stability of eco-anxiety scores. Moreover, I found that the dimensions of eco-anxiety were interrelated within time, which meant the more people experienced affective and behavioural eco-anxiety symptoms, the more they typically experienced rumination and personal impact anxiety; and by extension, the more likely they were to experience mental health difficulties and engage in pro-environmental behaviour. The implication of this is that ‘treating’ or ‘inducing’ eco-anxiety may not be effective strategies for optimising people’s wellbeing and behaviour.
Finally, I applied a person-centred approach to the multidimensionality of eco-anxiety, identifying three profiles (subpopulations) of eco-anxiety, which typified groups of people with low (71.60%), moderate (21.11%), or high (7.29%) scores across the eco-anxiety dimensions (Chapter Five). I showed that these profiles had unique mental health and wellbeing, and pro-environmental behavioural characteristics. Examining characteristics of the profiles revealed that increasingly eco-anxious profiles had stronger beliefs that ecological problems could be resolved through individual and collective action, showed stronger support for climate policies, and engaged in more pro-environmental behaviours. People in the moderate and high eco-anxiety profiles reported less satisfaction with their lives compared to the low profile, and those in the high eco-anxiety profile experienced ‘severe’ symptoms of anxiety and depression. One implication of my findings is that support programs for groups of people with high levels of eco-anxiety will need to find ways to support people’s mental health and wellbeing, whilst promoting their engagement in pro-environmental behaviour in sustainable ways.
Overall, my thesis contributes to the conceptualisation of eco-anxiety as a complex phenomenon. It showcases the good psychometric performance of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale, which offers a robust measurement model for eco-anxiety. This thesis advances knowledge of the individual and contextual predictors of eco-anxiety, and presents initial insights into the potential role these factors may play in shaping people’s experiences of eco-anxiety in the context of worsening ecological conditions. My thesis implicates eco-anxiety in both individual and planetary wellbeing, and may helpfully inform the development and provision of evidence-based climate-informed programs that meet the multiple needs of people experiencing eco-anxiety as ecological conditions worsen. Moreover, this program of research underscores the need for strong and effective climate policies that create the opportunities for change, such as the transition away from fossil fuels to renewables. Concerted action on climate change is needed to remedy eco-anxiety.
| Date of Award | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Lean O'BRIEN (Supervisor), Samantha STANLEY (Supervisor), Iain WALKER (Supervisor) & Clare WATSFORD (Supervisor) |