Negative hazard experiences, climate anxiety, and environmental mitigation efforts
Creators: name: Garfin, Dana Rose
name: Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle
Publisher: name: OSF Registries
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Mental and Social Health
subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: Repeated exposure to environmental hazards (including climate-related hazards such as severe hurricanes) is associated with psychological distress (including PTSD symptoms, global distress, ongoing fear and worry) and functional impairment (Garfin et al., in press). More generally, direct exposure (property loss, being in an evacuation zone), media-based exposure, and demographic indicators (e.g., age, socioeconomic status) have been linked with deleterious mental health responses (Chen et al., 2020), with those experiencing high health disparities frequently at greatest risk for mental health ailments (Chen et al., 2020). 

Climate anxiety (Clayton, 2020; Dodds, 2021) and eco-worry (Ojala et al., 2021) have emerged as constructs of interest to explain psychological distress associated with the climate crises. Given that many environmental hazards are associated with climate change (Trenberth et al., 2018), it is plausible that direct and media-based exposure to climate-related hazards (as well as the acute psychological reactions to them) may also be associated with climate anxiety and worry, independent of other common post-disaster mental health ailments (e.g., post-traumatic stress). This anxiety could motivate individuals to take protective action and support actions that could limit the severity of future climate-related threats (Cunsolo et al., 2020; Ojala et al., 2021); for example, a recent narrative review of climate anxiety noted that eco-anxiety can also manifest as “practical anxiety,” potentially motivating action, such as seeking out of new information and re-assessment of behavior options (Panu, 2020). Yet such anxiety could also overwhelm individuals and/or emerge as “passive anxiety,” making them less likely to act (Stanley et al., 2021; Taylor, 2020) or to switch to a “reward” focused mind state where individuals are less likely to make decisions that could compromise pleasure (e.g., reduce meat consumption to lower methane gas emissions) (Kapeller &amp; Jäger, 2020). At the same time, this phenomenon linking anxiety and worry to protective action may only occur for those who make the connection between their negative experiences and the changing climate (e.g., hazard subjective attribution). In a previous report, we demonstrated that the experience of negative hurricane experiences are associated with more hurricane-related household adaption, with greater subjective attribution of hurricanes to climate change a moderating factor between prior experience, risk appraisal and protective actions (Wong-Parodi &amp; Garfin, 2022). The purpose of the proposed analyses will be to evaluate antecedents of climate anxiety and climate worry and explore whether these psychological responses are associated with mental health ailments and/or if they serve an adaptive purpose motivating protective actions and attitudes. 

Despite the interest in understanding the antecedents of climate anxiety, climate worry, and behaviors and attitudes that build resilience, few methodologically rigorous studies have been conducted. A recent review notes that the work thus far has been defined by univariate analyses, cross-sectional designs, and retrospective reports (Chen et al., 2020). Few studies have been done with prospectively assessed representative samples, particularly those that were repeatedly exposed to climate-related threats. It is imperative to understand the association between exposure to climate-related threats, psychological responses (including mental health), and the performance and support of actions to mitigate the deleterious consequences of climate change and related hazards using empirically rigorous designs. 

Theses proposed analyses will evaluate demographic predictors of climate anxiety and climate anxiety. They will also explore whether negative hurricane-related experiences are associated with increased climate anxiety and climate worry and if, in turn, these responses are associated with protective behavior and attitudes. Additionally, the project will contrast adaptive/motivating vs. maladaptive/passive anxiety with respect to taking action to mitigate the threat of climate change.