Clinical symptoms of eco-distress in Germany: Prevalence and predictors in a German representative sample

Research has shown that a large number of people experience negative emotional reactions due to the climate crisis. These range from a non-pathological response to a clinically significant one. These negative emotional reactions are termed climate anxiety, eco anxiety, or eco-distress. However, the prevalence of clinical symptoms of eco-distress is unknown. From a public health perspective, there is a clear need to determine its extent. To this end, we analyzed the prevalence of clinical symptoms of eco-distress and identified significant predictors in a representative German sample.

We assessed prevalence as the percentage of participants exhibiting moderate or severe clinical symptoms of eco-distress, measured with a modified version of the PHQ-4. Predictors of higher levels of eco-distress were tested via a hurdle model that estimated both (i) predictors of showing any signs of eco-distress using a logistic regression model, and (ii) predictors of higher levels of eco-distress through a Poisson distribution truncated to exclude zero.

Of n = 2504 participants, n = 57 (2.3%) reported moderate or severe clinical symptoms of eco-distress. Moreover, n = 788 (32%) indicated experiencing at least one clinical symptom of depression or anxiety on several days over the last two weeks. Current mental health impairments, younger age, and identifying as female predicted eco-distress. Parenthood was not a significant predictor and results regarding socioeconomic factors were mixed.

The percentage of people reporting moderate or severe clinical symptoms of eco-distress of clinical significance is small but meaningful. As eco-distress is more prevalent in persons with current mental health impairments, psychosocial support and suitable interventions should be integrated into standard mental healthcare.