Psychometric Properties and Network Structure of the Domain-Specific Climate Change Distress Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Environmental Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Climate change presents a significant threat to psychological well-being.
• The Domain-Specific Climate Change Distress Scale (DCCDS) was developed to assess climate-related distress across multiple domains.
• Previous validation efforts are extended by this large-scale psychometric evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide extensive psychometric data and normative values for the DCCDS.
• To further validate the scale's psychometric properties and practical utility in diverse populations.
• To examine the scale's measurement invariance across gender.

Main Methods:

• Data from seven independent German-speaking samples (N = 894) were pooled.
• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to replicate the bifactor S-1 model.
• Measurement invariance, network analysis (EGA), and network comparison tests (NCT) were conducted.

Main Results:

• The bifactor S-1 model demonstrated acceptable fit, with full metric and partial scalar invariance across gender.
• Exploratory graph analysis identified six empirical dimensions, merging the society and wealth domains.
• Items related to food supply, future generations, and generic climate anxiety exhibited high centrality in the network.

Conclusions:

• The DCCDS exhibits robust psychometric properties and is largely measurement-equivalent across gender.
• Findings support the DCCDS's utility for individual diagnostics and group comparisons in climate psychology.
• Normative data enhance the scale's interpretability in applied psychological and clinical contexts.