Eco-Anxiety and Mental Health: Correlates of Climate Change Distress

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a threat to mental health, giving rise to constructs such as eco-anxiety and solastalgia. Although these phenomena have gained attention, quantitative data from European populations remain scarce.

This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of eco-anxiety in an Italian sample, focusing on associations with demographics, environmental disaster exposure, psychological distress, psychosis-risk indicators, and quality of life.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 1051 participants. Measures included the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16), SF-36 Health Survey, and a socio-demographic/environmental exposure questionnaire. Data were analyzed using correlations, t-tests, and regression analyses.

Eco-anxiety was higher among younger participants, women, and individuals without children, while education showed a weak negative association. No differences emerged by rural vs. urban residence. Participants exposed to floods, droughts, wildfires, and landslides reported elevated eco-anxiety. Scores correlated strongly with general distress (r = 0.57), positively with psychosis-risk indicators (PQ-16 distress, r = 0.42), and negatively with quality of life (r = -0.25).

Eco-anxiety in Italy is linked to socio-demographic vulnerabilities, disaster exposure, and impaired mental health. These findings highlight eco-anxiety as a pressing public health concern and stress the need for prevention and interventions that promote adaptive coping and engagement with climate change.